Lawsuits Filed by 15 States to Halt HHS’ New Gender Identity Rule

The Republican attorneys general of Mississippi and Tennessee have announced their involvement in a multistate lawsuit challenging a new rule by the Biden administration. This rule redefines Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act’s prohibition against discrimination based on “sex” to include “gender identity.”

According to the rule change, the Department of Health and Human Services is making efforts to enforce gender identity mandates without congressional consent. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Mississippi.

This rule would mandate medical providers to perform surgeries and provide hormone drugs for gender transition, disregarding a doctor’s medical judgment. It would also require healthcare workers to use gender identity pronouns and allow patients into sex-segregated spaces based on gender identity rather than biological sex.

Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch stated, “Injecting gender identity into our state’s medical system is a dangerous pursuit of a political agenda from the Biden administration.” Tennessee Attorney General Jason Skrmetti added that the Biden administration cannot impose this ideological agenda on American healthcare.

Tennessee and Mississippi are joined in the lawsuit by several other states, including Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, and Virginia. The lawsuit aims to challenge the legality of the rule and protect healthcare providers and state residents from its implications.

For further comments, Newsmax has reached out to the White House and the Department of Health and Human Services.