Indiana joins 14 states in lawsuit challenging federal protections for transgender care

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Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has joined legal chiefs from 14 other states in filing a lawsuit that challenges a new rule from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that aims to protect gay and transgender people from health care discrimination.

Conservative opponents of the rule have argued the policy could force doctors to perform gender-transition surgeries and other procedures that they oppose on religious grounds.

“The Biden administration will stop at nothing to impose its radical transgender ideology on Hoosiers and all Americans,” Rokita said in a news release. “These HHS bureaucrats are illegally weaponizing the U.S. health care system in this misguided quest. With our lawsuit, we aim to protect common sense, science and the rule of law—not to mention the physical and mental health of people experiencing gender dysphoria.”

Rokita’s office said covered entities that fail to follow the HHS rule risk the loss of significant federal funding—including Medicaid funding designed to assist low-income individuals. They also risk exposure to civil liability through private lawsuits.

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi and is led by attorneys general in Tennessee and Mississippi. It asks the court to enjoin and invalidate the 2024 nondiscrimination in health programs and activities rule.

Other states listed as plaintiffs are Alabama, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia and West Virginia.

“Purporting to implement the Affordable Care Act’s prohibition on ‘sex’ discrimination, HHS’s 2024 Rule threatens States and health care providers with massive penalties for failing to align their policies, coverage decisions, and even medical care with patients’ subjective gender identities rather than sex,” the complaint states.

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8 thoughts on “Indiana joins 14 states in lawsuit challenging federal protections for transgender care

  1. (sarcasm) Let’s go back to the good old days where we shoved them all back into the closet. (end sarcasm)

    Unlike his Force to Birth stance, that attacks 50% of the voting population, attacking transgender issues only alienates 2% of the voting population. I guess the hate and fear mongering are worth it if you pick up more votes than you lose. It’s a good political calculation. Nice messaging during Pride month.

  2. Here’s what the science says:

    Conclusion: Gender-affirming surgery is significantly associated with elevated suicide attempt risks.

    The promotion of the barbaric practice must be stopped.

    1. That is NOT what peer-reviewed, accredited research says.

      Your opinion doesn’t count if you got your medical degree from Wal Mart.

    2. RIck:

      Introduction

      With the growing acceptance of transgender individuals, the number of gender affirmation surgeries has increased. Transgender individuals face elevated depression rates, leading to an increase in suicide ideation and attempts. This study evaluates the risk of suicide or self-harm associated with gender affirmation procedures.

      Methods

      This retrospective study utilized de-identified patient data from the TriNetX (TriNetX, LLC, Cambridge, MA) database, involving 56 United States healthcare organizations and over 90 million patients. The study involved four cohorts: cohort A, adults aged 18-60 who had gender-affirming surgery and an emergency visit (N = 1,501); cohort B, control group of adults with emergency visits but no gender-affirming surgery (N = 15,608,363); and cohort C, control group of adults with emergency visits, tubal ligation or vasectomy, but no gender-affirming surgery (N = 142,093). Propensity matching was applied to cohorts A and C. Data from February 4, 2003, to February 4, 2023, were analyzed to examine suicide attempts, death, self-harm, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) within five years of the index event. A secondary analysis involving a control group with pharyngitis, referred to as cohort D, was conducted to validate the results from cohort C.

      Results

      Individuals who underwent gender-affirming surgery had a 12.12-fold higher suicide attempt risk than those who did not (3.47% vs. 0.29%, RR 95% CI 9.20-15.96, p < 0.0001). Compared to the tubal ligation/vasectomy controls, the risk was 5.03-fold higher before propensity matching and remained significant at 4.71-fold after matching (3.50% vs. 0.74%, RR 95% CI 2.46-9.024, p < 0.0001) for the gender affirmation patients with similar results with the pharyngitis controls.

  3. What??? WalMart offers medical degrees? Are they available in-store, or do I have to order through Amazon?
    I have a Cardinal Designation; a medical doctor degree would be just the think to silence all who oppose me…the perfect marriage of religion and medicine…

  4. here, fixed it:
    “The *Rokita* administration will stop at nothing to impose its radical *religious* ideology on Hoosiers and all Americans,” “*I’m one of* These bureaucrats that are illegally *inserting religion into* the U.S. health care system in this misguided quest.”
    What closet skeleton does this idiot fanatic keep trying to overcompensate and deflect from? Somebody do some research.

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