Overview
- The coalition filed the lawsuit in federal court in Eugene, Oregon, naming HHS, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and the inspector general.
- The suit seeks to block enforcement of the declaration that labeled puberty blockers, hormones, and surgeries unsafe for minors and warned providers could be excluded from Medicare and Medicaid.
- HHS also proposed rules to bar hospitals offering such care to minors from Medicaid and Medicare and to prevent CHIP payment, which entered a 60‑day public comment period and are not yet binding.
- The plaintiffs argue the declaration unlawfully attempts to set medical standards, violates the Administrative Procedure Act, and coerces providers and states administering Medicaid.
- HHS grounded its stance in a peer‑reviewed internal report urging greater reliance on behavioral therapy, a conclusion sharply disputed by major medical organizations including the American Medical Association.