Campbell, other state AGs threaten to sue Trump administration over gender-affirming care

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell said she will defend state laws that protect access to gender-affirming health care, even if that means suing the Trump administration to do so.

Campbell is one of 14 attorneys general who signed a statement released Wednesday reiterating their duty to protect access to gender-based healthcare and decrying the Trump administration's efforts to curtail it.

"Gender-affirming care is essential, life-saving medical treatment that supports individuals in living as their authentic selves," the AGs said in the statement.

The statement comes in response to a Trump executive order released last week that would cut off federal funding for health care providers that offer gender-affirming care to minors. The order itself refers to treatments like puberty blockers as “chemical and surgical mutilation,” despite decades of safe use.

"The Trump Administration’s recent Executive Order is wrong on the science and the law," the AGs wrote. "Despite what the Trump Administration has suggested, there is no connection between 'female genital mutilation' and gender-affirming care, and no federal law makes gender-affirming care unlawful. President Trump cannot change that by Executive Order."

In Massachusetts, hospitals and clinics that treat transgender and nonbinary youth told WBUR's Martha Bebinger they'll continue to provide care while they review the order.

In a separate effort last week, the administration tried to freeze federal funding, which sent shockwaves through state and local governments, along with nonprofits and individuals who rely on federal programs to survive. Judges in two separate suits — one brought by Campbell and several other attorneys general — had placed a stay on that order, allowing the money to continue to flow.