Transgender teenager sues Essentia Health after 5 years of care abruptly ends

A 16-year-old transgender boy and his mother are suing Essentia Health, alleging the health system broke Minnesota law when it abruptly ended gender-affirming care for its minor patients, according to the advocacy group Gender Justice.

Gender Justice and the law firm Robins Kaplan LLP filed the lawsuit on behalf of the teen and his mother, who are identified in court documents as John and Jane Doe. The suit argues the decision violates the Minnesota Human Rights Act.

John Doe began receiving care from Essentia at the onset of puberty, Gender Justice said. After five years of treatment, Essentia ended his care when he was 16 without notice or explanation, according to the group.

"What happened to John Doe was not just wrong, it was illegal," said Greta Wiessner, a senior staff attorney at Gender Justice. She said the Minnesota Human Rights Act bars providers from denying care because of who someone is, and that by ending care for all of its adolescent patients, Essentia cut off every young person like John Doe from treatment they depend on.

In a statement, an Essentia Health spokesperson said: "Out of respect for patient privacy, we cannot comment on pending or active litigation."

In February, Children's Minnesota said it planned to pause prescribing puberty-suppressing medications and hormones for patients under 18, citing federal actions directed at pediatric health systems that provide the care. The health system announced April 6 that it had resumed the services after a favorable federal court ruling, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported.