The Justice Department subpoenaed Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for a treasure trove of data related to the care of transgender patients. By the end of July, at least 20 other hospitals are subpoenaed for the same or similar information.
The requested data includes patients’ dates of birth, social security numbers, and addresses; billing documents; communications with drug manufacturers; emails; Zoom recordings; and “every writing or record” of communication between doctors and young transgender patients dating back to January 2020.
According to seven people familiar with the subpoenas, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution, the subpoenas targeted care for patients younger than 19 and went to providers in states that still allow gender care for minors, as well as states where it has been banned.
The Washington Post
In July, Attorney General Pam Bondi states that the DOJ is pursuing accountability against doctors and hospitals “that mutilated children in the service of a warped ideology.”
Historically, gender-affirming care for minors in the U.S. almost never includes surgical practices, with reports finding entire years where not a single minor had such a surgery. Fewer than 3,000 adolescents nationwide receive hormone treatments or puberty blockers. This has not stopped Republicans from creating a wedge issue and propaganda out of the idea that doctors are “mutilating” children.
“Frankly, I’m looking over my shoulder driving home,” said one Midwestern doctor who had to turn over a work cellphone to supervisors after their hospital received a Justice Department subpoena; the doctor asked not to be identified for fear of drawing additional law enforcement scrutiny.
The Washington Post
Reports indicate that the majority of the DOJ’s subpoenas target hospitals and doctors in states where gender-affirming care is legal. After the subpoenas begin rolling out, hospitals in these states are ending or limiting the care they provide for transgender patients.
Editor’s Note: At the time of this writing (August 21, 2025), this is a breaking story. We feel it’s worth pointing out that the reports on these subpoenas focus primarily on the threats to doctors and not the consequences of the federal government requesting personal information on gender non-conforming youth.
