In April 2025, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi directed federal prosecutors to investigate gender-affirming care for minors, labeling these lifesaving procedures as comparable to “female genital mutilation” (FGM).

This rhetoric is not only medically inaccurate but part of a broader effort to criminalize health professionals who provide care in accordance with nationally accepted medical guidelines.

Robin Maril, an assistant professor of constitutional law at Oregon’s Willamette University, said to NBC News that Bondi’s memo doesn’t change any existing laws. Doctors, she said, will not be breaking the law by continuing to treat trans minors if they live in a state where such care is still legal.

So it is clearly about threatening doctors and strengthening fear. 

Doctors across the country are now operating in fear already — of criminal investigations, professional ruin, or political retribution — simply for treating their patients based on established best practices. And doing so within the existing US legislation - in selected states.

The American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, and other leading health institutions have all affirmed that gender-affirming care can be critical and life-saving for transgender youth.

This campaign of intimidation must stop.

We call on Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Department of Justice to cease politically motivated investigations into doctors providing gender-affirming care.

Recognize gender-affirming care as legitimate, evidence-based medicine, not a criminal offense.

Protect healthcare providers from harassment, prosecution, and government overreach when following recognized medical standards!