Surely taking away health care is exactly what Jesus would do. This holiday season, transphobic lawmakers in Congress just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make some end-of-year efforts aimed at blocking youth access to gender-affirming care, and they’re moving quickly: these measures are set to be voted on this week.
Gender-affirming care is safe and essential medical care. Instead of protecting life-saving healthcare, these measures restrict access to gender-affirming care, step between doctor and patient, and erect barriers to medical needs. Everyone — including young people — deserve to make health care decisions with dignity and respect, free from political interference.
The Protect Children’s Innocence Act (H.R. 3492) targets gender-affirming care for transgender youth, threatening medical providers with criminal consequences for delivering care that aligns with established medical standards and, in many cases, saves lives. The Do No Harm in Medicaid Act (H.R. 498) would prohibit Medicaid funds from being able to be used to cover this medically-necessary care for young people, leaving access to care out of reach for low-income youth.
Your members in Congress should be committed to protecting gender-affirming care and affirming the right of everyone to access the health care they need. Take just one moment now to urge Congress to reject both H.R. 3492 and H.R. 498.
