Pennsylvania Families Challenge DOJ Subpoenas for Transgender Kids’ Medical Records

In July 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice served more than 20 subpoenas to hospitals and clinics nationwide, demanding access to medical records relating to “transgender medical procedures” performed on minors. UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh is among the providers targeted, with hundreds of local families now fearing for the privacy and safety of their transgender children. The records sought by DOJ extend back to January 2020 and reportedly include sensitive information such as Social Security numbers, home addresses, and personal communications between parents and healthcare providers .

The Pittsburgh Parents for Medical & Privacy Rights, representing approximately 70 families, argue that UPMC failed to communicate with them about the subpoenas, leaving them “in the dark” regarding how their children’s confidential information might be used. “UPMC made zero effort to respond to parents,” said V. Turner, one of the group’s organizers who spoke on condition of anonymity for safety reasons. Multiple families have sent letters and emails to UPMC but have yet to receive answers .

Parents report heightened anxiety and uncertainty about whether private medical information will be used against transgender youth and their families, compounding the stress already felt due to disruptions in access to care.

Other hospitals named in the DOJ subpoenas, including Boston Children’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, have taken legal action to contest the requests. Boston Children’s Hospital successfully secured a federal court order blocking the release of records as of September 9, 2025. Meanwhile, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s legal challenge remains ongoing .

In contrast, Pittsburgh parents have criticized UPMC for not joining these legal efforts. On September 24, 2025, the Public Interest Law Center filed a motion in federal court seeking to quash the subpoena directed at UPMC, while similar action was taken by the same organization for Philadelphia’s hospital on September 22, 2025 .

Families and advocates argue that UPMC’s inaction exposes them to unnecessary risk and violates the trust placed in healthcare providers to safeguard sensitive patient data.

The legal battle over subpoenas comes at a moment when access to gender-affirming care for minors has already come under attack. In June 2025, UPMC halted all gender-affirming care for patients under 19, including puberty blockers and hormone therapy, following a Trump administration executive order threatening to defund institutions performing what it termed “chemical and surgical mutilation of children” . Despite federal threats, gender-affirming care remains legal in Pennsylvania, but providers have scaled back or ended their programs out of concern for criminal prosecution .

This shift has had a profound impact on transgender youth and their families, who now face both the loss of medically necessary, evidence-based care and the risk of personal information being exposed in federal investigations.

One parent, quoted by the Pittsburgh Parents group, described the pain and fear caused by UPMC’s decision: “Ending our child’s access to medically necessary, safe, evidence-based, life-saving care and then leaving us to worry about privacy is unconscionable” .

The Women’s Law Project, a statewide nonprofit legal group, and Berger Montague, a class action law firm, filed a formal complaint to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission against UPMC on September 30, 2025. The sealed complaint asserts that UPMC’s decision to cease gender-affirming care to transgender youth constitutes discrimination based on sex and disability, since cisgender children are still eligible for puberty blockers or hormone therapy, while transgender children are denied similar treatments .

The complaint further contends that refusing care to children diagnosed with gender dysphoria is a violation of state law prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities. Annmarie Pinarski, attorney for the Women’s Law Project, stated that her clients hope the complaint will result in UPMC restoring access to comprehensive gender-affirming treatment for young transgender patients .

The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission will investigate the complaint and gather facts to determine whether there is reason to believe discrimination occurred. If probable cause is found, the commission may work to resolve the issue through settlement or other means.

UPMC issued a statement expressing its commitment to exceptional patient care and empathy for affected families, but did not provide specific answers regarding its response to the DOJ subpoenas or whether cisgender patients continue to receive hormone therapy. The statement read: “As we continue to monitor any executive branch memos, directives, subpoenas and other guidance from the Trump administration, these actions have made it abundantly clear that our clinicians can no longer provide certain types of gender-affirming care without risk of criminal prosecution. This includes specific restrictions on puberty blockers and hormone therapy for individuals under the age of 19. However, we will continue to provide essential behavioral health support and other necessary care within the bounds of the law while seeking to protect the confidentiality of the physician/patient relationship. We empathize deeply with the patients and families affected by these ongoing changes” .

Advocates maintain that these reassurances do little to address the immediate fears about privacy and access to care among transgender youth and their families.

The DOJ’s subpoenas and subsequent changes in hospital policies reflect a broader national climate of increasing restrictions and scrutiny on gender-affirming healthcare for transgender minors. According to recent reporting, more than a dozen hospitals across the country have ended or scaled back their gender transition programs for youth under 19, directly impacting the health and wellbeing of thousands of transgender adolescents .

LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations warn that these measures not only undermine medical privacy and access to evidence-based care, but also contribute to stigmatization and discrimination against transgender people. The current legal battles in Pennsylvania have taken on national significance, serving as a test case for how medical privacy and civil rights protections will be interpreted and defended in an era of heightened political and legal challenges .

The outcome of ongoing legal actions and complaints will have lasting implications for the rights of transgender youth, their families, and the healthcare providers who serve them.