The Trump administration is using federal power to demand deeply personal, confidential information from hospitals that provide gender-affirming care to transgender youth.

A newly revealed subpoena sent to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in June sought birth dates, home addresses, and Social Security numbers of minors receiving gender-related care—along with “every record” made by their doctors, including private notes, encrypted messages, and internal communications. That’s not regulation. That’s surveillance.

No family should have to fear that seeking medical care will put their child on a government list.

This isn’t about fraud or oversight—it’s part of a growing campaign to intimidate doctors, shut down clinics, and criminalize care that is legal, recommended by major medical associations, and often life-saving. Already, some of the most respected clinics in the country have been forced to scale back or close entirely under pressure.

We, the undersigned, demand:

Congress immediately investigate the misuse of federal subpoena power against hospitals providing legal care;

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and civil rights organizations to intervene and protect patient confidentiality under HIPAA and other privacy laws;

Federal courts to block future attempts by the executive branch to obtain or weaponize sensitive patient data for political purposes.

Whether you support gender-affirming care or not, this moment should alarm you: no administration—left or right—should have the power to secretly demand lists of patients and private medical records based on politics.