We are parents, caregivers, community members, and allies calling on UW Health and Children’s Wisconsin to immediately reverse course and restore access to gender-affirming care for our children and families.

These decisions were not made because the science changed. They were made in response to political pressure and fear.

In early 2026, both health systems paused gender-affirming care for minors, citing federal threats to cut Medicare and Medicaid funding for providers who continue this care.  

Let’s be clear: this is not about patient safety. This is about politics interfering with medicine.

Courts Have Already Stepped In

Federal courts have already blocked enforcement of these threats, finding that the Trump administration’s actions likely violate the law and harm patients. Judges in multiple states issued injunctions preventing the federal government from withholding funding from hospitals that provide this care.  

Hospitals across the country are resuming care in response.

So why are our institutions still holding back?

The Medical Consensus Is Clear

Major medical organizations—including pediatricians, endocrinologists, and the American Medical Association—support gender-affirming care as medically necessary, evidence-based, and often life-saving.

The American Academy of Pediatrics affirms that:

Gender-affirming care improves mental health outcomes:

It reduces rates of depression and suicidal ideation
It supports the overall well-being of transgender and gender-diverse youth  

This is not experimental care. This is established, evidence-based medicine supported by decades of research and clinical practice.

The Real Harm Is Denial of Care

When care is taken away, the consequences are immediate and real.

Advocates and providers warn that denying access to gender-affirming care increases mental health risks for transgender youth, including anxiety, depression, and suicide.  

Families are being forced to travel out of state, delay care, or go without it entirely.

That is not neutrality. That is harm.

Parents and Families Must Lead—Not Politicians

Decisions about a child’s health should be made by:

Families
Medical professionals
Patients themselves—not by politicians advancing ideological agendas.

We reject a system where elected officials override doctors, ignore scientific consensus, and place barriers between families and the care their children need to survive and thrive.

Our Call to Action

We call on UW Health and Children’s Wisconsin to:

Immediately resume gender-affirming care for youth
Publicly affirm their commitment to evidence-based, patient-centered medicine
Stand with families, not political intimidation

Lead with courage, not fear

This is a moment of moral clarity.

Healthcare systems should not wait for permission to do what is right when the law, the science, and the community are already clear.

Our children deserve care.

Our families deserve support.

And our providers deserve the freedom to practice medicine grounded in evidence—not ideology.