A newly revealed Justice Department subpoena has exposed the full scope of the Trump administration’s effort to obtain confidential medical information about transgender youth, igniting alarm among families, advocates, and medical professionals.
The subpoena, sent in June to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, included a seven-page list of demands for documents related to gender-affirming care. Federal officials requested “every writing or record of whatever type” made by doctors providing gender-related treatments, including therapy, puberty blockers, hormones, and surgeries. The demand went further, seeking patient birth dates, Social Security numbers, and home addresses.
In addition to traditional medical files, the order sought emails, text messages, voicemail records, and even encrypted communications through WhatsApp and similar applications. Such sweeping requests cut against longstanding federal protections that safeguard patient confidentiality, raising concerns that the government is deliberately attempting to pierce privacy barriers as part of its wider campaign to eliminate transition care for minors.
Officials briefed on the investigation have described these subpoenas as both a fishing expedition and a pressure tactic. While investigators claim they are searching for evidence of fraud, the broad nature of the demands suggests the information could also be used as leverage in negotiations with hospitals and providers. Federal officials have even indicated that criminal charges might eventually be sought if violations are alleged.
This is not the first sign of pressure from the administration. In May, nine leading children’s hospitals across the country received letters from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, demanding extensive data on gender-related care. Those letters carried an explicit warning that hospitals receiving federal funds must “meet rigorous quality standards,” a phrase many providers interpreted as financial intimidation.
The pressure campaign intensified in June, when the FBI issued a public call asking citizens to report hospitals and doctors who were performing gender-related surgeries on minors. By July, a senior Justice Department official told an audience at the Federal Trade Commission that drug manufacturers producing medications for gender-affirming care were under investigation for potential marketing violations.
Together, these actions form a sweeping federal offensive against pediatric gender-affirming care, despite decades of medical consensus affirming its necessity. The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychological Association, and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health have all reiterated that gender-affirming care is evidence-based, medically appropriate, and often lifesaving.
Legal challenges are already underway. Sixteen states and the District of Columbia have filed suit against the administration, arguing that the subpoenas and related actions are unconstitutional, violate states’ rights, and place children in harm’s way. Advocates warn that forcing providers to hand over deeply personal information risks creating a chilling effect, deterring doctors from offering care and leaving families without safe options.
For transgender youth, gender-affirming care is not political; it is essential. The administration’s aggressive actions are being widely condemned as an attack not only on medical privacy but also on the dignity and survival of transgender children themselves.
