UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh has confirmed in federal court that it has not turned over any medical records belonging to young transgender patients, pushing back against a sweeping subpoena issued by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The subpoena, filed in July 2025, seeks to collect deeply personal health and demographic data tied to gender-affirming care provided to minors. It demands patient names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, addresses, guardian and parent details, diagnoses, provider notes, puberty blocker prescriptions, hormone therapy records, and gender-related medical documentation.
DOJ argues that because gender-affirming care for minors has expanded quickly nationwide, oversight is warranted to probe if those expansions ever crossed into noncompliant treatment or improper claims in programs like Medicaid, CHIP, or other federally funded health insurance streams. The government has publicly stated it believes some providers may have submitted claims for services, medications, or procedures using federal insurance dollars that could later be characterized as medically unnecessary under its fraud and abuse theory.
UPMC’s filing stated that “to date… UPMC has not disclosed to the government any information or other materials” relevant to the subpoena.
The hospital has also asked the court to pause any enforcement of the subpoena until a legal motion filed by the Public Interest Law Center (PILC), representing trans youth and their families, is resolved. The law center, partnered with Ballard Spahr, is seeking to quash the subpoena entirely, calling it invasive, harmful, and unnecessary.
PILC’s legal director publicly supported UPMC’s stance, saying, “We are pleased to learn that UPMC has not turned over any patient medical records. Nor should they.”
The subpoena battle comes after UPMC quietly reversed its clinical support for transgender patients under 19. In October 2025, the hospital system effectively ended access to puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgeries for patients under 19, keeping only mental health counseling in place.
The policy shift sparked widespread backlash. Pennsylvania elected officials, local health advocates, LGBTQ+ groups, and more than 300 UPMC doctors and clinicians signed an open letter demanding the system reinstate gender-affirming care for trans youth. Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey and Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato also pressured UPMC to reverse course.
UPMC previously offered one of the largest pediatric gender care programs in the region, including puberty blockers and hormone therapy. The program expansion was used by DOJ as a justification for the subpoena, saying records may indicate “fraud and abuse” under federal oversight.
But UPMC providers and advocates argue the investigation bypasses core medical safeguards and could put children at risk by compromising protected health information without clinical cause. They note the chilling effect of federal record collection efforts, which have increasingly disrupted transgender health care for minors nationwide.
More than 20 gender-affirming providers across the country have received similar subpoenas. Several have shut down services, citing regulatory pressure and legal risk. Others have resisted, prompting federal court action.
A separate ruling earlier this month set a strong precedent for medical privacy in cases involving transgender youth. A federal judge previously ruled against the federal record request, concluding that patient privacy for minors outweighed DOJ’s interest. That decision empowered UPMC’s current delay request.
For now, young trans patients at UPMC remain protected from disclosure while legal action unfolds. The broader debate over gender-affirming care for minors, parental rights, medical autonomy, and patient privacy continues to intensify under growing national scrutiny.
Advocates say the takeaway is simple: privacy is not negotiable, youth deserve care guided by doctors and families, and intimidation tactics will not end community resistance.
UPMC’s refusal stands as a high-stakes test of how far federal investigations can go when medical privacy is on trial. The ruling could shape protections for transgender minors nationwide just when they need them most.
