As a family medicine doctor, I see patients from all ages, demographics, and walks of life.
Many of my gay and transgender adult patients have shared stories about how a lack of support during their formative years led to struggles – both mental and physical – that lingered well into adulthood.
LGBTQ+ youth need the support of their societies, peers, parents, schools, and physicians. Unfortunately, state law ties my hands – and those of my colleagues – from helping young transgender people receive live-saving health care.
Indiana’s Gender-Affirming Care Ban Especially Dangerous
The U.S. Supreme Court is reviewing a case regarding Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors. The case will have implications for providing care in Indiana. However, Indiana’s law differs in one crucial way – it contains “aid and abet” language that curtails medical providers’ free speech and duty to protect their patients.
We know that some families are travelling out of state to seek gender-affirming care, but the youth’s primary care doctors are prohibited from communicating with the out-of-state doctors. Because this section of the law is so broad, “communicating” is understood to mean referring a family to an out-of-state provider, sharing the youth’s medical records with that provider, and sharing or receiving information about current care with those providers – including potential health concerns.
This prohibition has devastating consequences. For example, if one of my patients were in this situation, I could inadvertently prescribe medication that interacts with their treatment. In addition to any psychological harm a delay in treatment may cause, I run the risk of putting my patients in physical danger if I’m not aware of their ongoing prescriptions.
This kind of restriction is unheard of in other areas of medicine — whether it’s cancer treatment, cardiology, or any other specialty. And no other profession — lawyers, business leaders, blue collar workers, etc. — faces a ban on discussing their work across state lines.
Rep. Chris Campbell (D-West Lafayette) has introduced a bill that would repeal the “aid and abet” provision of SEA 480. As a physician, I support this bill.
Addressing Misconceptions About Gender-Affirming Care
I often find myself dispelling misconceptions, half-truths and lies about transgender people.
There’s a widespread belief that children are undergoing immediate and drastic medical interventions. Nothing could be further from the truth. Gender-affirming care for minors is a cautious and gradual process.
For pre-pubertal children, it involves nothing more than social support: allowing them to express their identity through clothing, names, and pronouns. When and if medical intervention becomes appropriate, it is approached with care and deliberation. The medications prescribed during puberty are potentially lifesaving, and also low-risk and reversible. With regard to surgical interventions, in a lawsuit challenging Indiana’s law, the court noted that no Indiana providers performed such surgeries even before the ban was enacted.
The Impact of Indiana’s Aid and Abet Provisions
While the U.S. Supreme Court decides whether states can restrict access to hormone therapy for minors, Rep. Chris Campbell’s HB 1444 is common sense legislation that would restore the First Amendment rights of Indiana doctors and improve care for youth receiving out-of-state services.
Standing alone, the aid and abet provisions of the law don’t prevent anyone from receiving care. All they do is diminish the quality of care a youth receives. That isn’t good public policy. It’s just cruel.
These barriers to life-saving care stand contrary to the values I hold as a physician and as a Hoosier. We physicians now face managing the repercussions of stripping vital care from children who are suffering, and who know we could have done better by them. My heart also breaks for parents who have lost the right to decide what’s best for their children.
Moving Forward
As a physician, I’ve committed to using my platform to educate and advocate. Advocacy begins with awareness. I’ve found that many of my colleagues and friends—even those who share my values—are unaware of the specifics of these laws or the realities faced by transgender individuals. The more we engage in honest, compassionate conversations, the better equipped we are to challenge harmful policies and support those who need us most.
