Rhode Island Blocks Federal Request for Trans Youth Records

The Rhode Island Office of the Child Advocate filed a motion to quash a Justice Department subpoena that seeks the identities and medical histories of every minor who received gender-affirming care at Rhode Island Hospital over more than five years. The state says the demand breaches privacy laws and endangers patients.

The Advocate

The subpoena enforces a Texas district-court order from Attorney General Ken Paxton and reflects a DOJ program launched to collect records on patients under 19 receiving puberty blockers or hormone therapy. Former AG Pam Bondi oversaw the rollout. Courts in Maryland and Pennsylvania have blocked comparable requests targeting Children’s National Hospital and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

The Advocate

Katelyn Medeiros, Rhode Island’s Child Advocate; the DOJ; former AG Pam Bondi; and Texas AG Ken Paxton are parties. The DOJ seeks “the identities and medical histories of every minor patient who received care for gender dysphoria at RI Hospital more than five years.”

The Advocate

Officials argue that releasing the records would breach privacy statutes, expose a group to humiliation, and erode trust in medical providers. Analysts warn the subpoena seeks unfettered access to Social Security numbers, addresses, sexual orientation and treatment details, raising concerns of overreach and loss of patient confidentiality.

The Advocate

The Office of the Child Advocate said the subpoena violates protections and threatens patient dignity. The Justice Department described the request as a lawful part of an investigation into violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

The Advocate

The federal court will rule on Rhode Island’s motion while the Justice Department may appeal. The decision could set precedent for how state privacy protections intersect with federal investigations of gender-affirming care.

The Advocate

• “The medical records of these children contain private information that is protected under the law, which exists to safeguard confidentiality, privacy, and the dignity of every patient,” — Katelyn Medeiros, Child Advocate, Rhode Island

The Advocate

• “When those protections are disregarded — especially for children — it is not merely a violation of the law but a breach of trust that could have profound lifelong consequences.” — Katelyn Medeiros, Child Advocate, Rhode Island

The Advocate

• “In other words, for a population of children that already lacks trust in the legal and medical systems, DOJ now seeks unfettered access to everything from their Social Security numbers and addresses to the intimate details about their state of mind, their sexual orientation and gender identity, and the course of treatment they chose with their physician and custodians,” — Attorneys for the Justice Department

The Advocate

• “the identities and complete medical histories of every minor patient who received medical care for gender dysphoria at RI Hospital over more than five years.” — Justice Department

The Advocate