Judge rules US government overreached with transgender health care declarationhttps://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/judge-rules-us-government-overreached-with-transgender-health-care-declaration/ar-AA1Z3QdR?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=ef8d505d9e834941cdea75b86ebeaff5&ei=107 🔗 [Link: msn.com/en-us/health/other/judge-rules-us-government-overreached-with-transgender-health-care-declaration/ar-AA1Z3QdR/]Los Angeles Times (20 March 2026)
A federal judge said the government overreached by issuing a declaration that called treatments like puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgeries unsafe and ineffective for young people experiencing gender dysphoria, according to a ruling Thursday in Oregon.
Judge Mustafa Kasubhai ruled that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. didn't go through the proper administrative procedures in December when issuing the declaration, which warned doctors that they could be excluded from federal health programs like Medicare and Medicaid if they provide these treatments.
The ruling grants preliminary relief to health professionals who provide the treatments. The judge also denied the government's motion to dismiss the case.
"Today's win breaks through the noise and gives some needed clarity to patients, families, and providers," Letitia James, the Democratic New York attorney general who led the lawsuit, said in a statement Thursday. "Health care services for transgender young people remain legal, and the federal government cannot intimidate or punish the providers who offer them."
The New York Times reported that the judge spoke about the broader implications associated with this case, especially as it relates to democracy.
"The notion that 'I will go forward and issue a declaration and see if we can get away with it' is not a principle of governance that adheres to the overarching commitment to a democratic republic that requires the rule of law to be regarded and respected and honored as a sacred," the judge said.
