A Department of Justice subpoena sent to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia documents the current demands of 1968 Wharton graduate and President Donald Trump’s administration regarding procedures and patient information in gender-affirming care.
The subpoena — which was served in June and came to light in a court filing in August — includes a seven-page list of requested physician documents related to gender-affirming care procedures including Social Security information, addresses, medical history, and billing documents. The DOJ also requested sweeping communications records since January 2020, before any gender-affirming care or surgery was banned in the United States, according to The Washington Post.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced in a July 9 statement that the DOJ had sent more than 20 subpoenas to doctors and clinics that provide gender-affirming care to advance the Trump administration’s effort to thwart transgender medical care for youth.
Bondi stated that the requests were part of investigations into “healthcare fraud, false statements, and more.”
The DOJ has launched other investigations against pediatric gender care as a product of the Trump administration’s campaign.
In May, nine children’s hospitals across the country received letters from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services demanding information on gender-related treatments, applying explicit financial pressure on these institutions. In June, the FBI also requested tips from the public reporting hospitals and doctors performing gender-related surgeries on minors.
According to PBS News, at least eight major hospital systems announced in July that they would halt gender-affirming care.
Earlier this year, Penn Medicine halted gender-affirming surgery for patients under 19 following an executive order from the Trump administration. The decision came after Penn Medicine removed over half a dozen websites previously containing information about diverse admission, hiring, and care practices.
RELATED:
Penn Medicine halts gender-affirming surgery for patients under 19 following Trump executive order
Penn Medicine researchers discover method to identify, prevent recurrence in breast cancer survivors
The effects of these orders have been mostly seen in blue states, where hospitals have scaled back or removed gender-transition programs and care for transgender youth.
CHOP has not announced that it is curtailing pediatric gender care.
