as playing cards The administration has intensified its legal campaign against medical providers, new jersey Democratic Party They seek to strengthen the state as a haven. transgender Patients and doctors caught in road widening construction political fight.
On Thursday, the New Jersey General Assembly Health Committee passed a bill aimed at protecting reproductive and gender-affirming care providers from prosecution and legal retaliation related to their care, which remains legal in New Jersey. The move comes just days after the New Jersey Senate Health, Welfare and Aging Committee introduced the Senate version of the bill on Monday, clearing the way for it to pass in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.
The Shield Act, backed by Democratic lawmakers and advocacy groups like Garden State Equality, would expand protections for doctors, hospitals and patients involved in providing care that remains legal in New Jersey.
“This law is called the ‘Shield Act’ for a reason. It protects New Jersey’s gender-affirming and reproductive health care providers so they can continue to provide the best medically necessary care to their patients,” Lauren Albrecht, director of advocacy and organizing for Garden State Equality, said in a statement Thursday.
related: New Jersey lawmakers seek to protect transgender health care from threats outside the state
Democratic-led states are increasingly bracing for a standoff with Republican-led states and the federal government over health care access for transgender people.
Earlier this week, NYU Langone College received a federal grand jury subpoena from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas seeking records regarding minors who received gender-affirming treatment between 2020 and 2026, as well as information identifying the health care providers involved in their treatment. The subpoena appears to be the first publicly known request for a criminal investigation related to the administration’s expanded investigation into the care of transgender youth.
“In light of the federal criminal subpoena for NYU Langone records, we worked overtime this week with a coalition of senators, congressmen, policymakers, and activists to expand the final version of the bill to include protections against frivolous federal subpoenas,” Albrecht said.
related: Here are states with laws protecting abortion and gender-affirming care
related: Attacks on abortion and gender-affirming care are closely related.
According to new jersey monitorLawmakers recently amended the bill to remove explicit references to “gender-affirming care” and instead expand the definition related to reproductive health care to include treatments related to gender identity and expression.
monitor Supporters reported seeing the changes as strategic rather than substantive. “What we need to protect is not the term gender-affirming care; it’s health care,” LGBTQ+ advocate Louise Wolpin told the magazine.
The bill codifies and expands protections first established by Executive Order 326, signed by then-Governor Phil Murphy in 2023, declaring New Jersey a safe haven for gender-affirming care.
According to a 2024 report from the Williams Institute, 18 states and Washington, D.C., currently have shield laws in place to protect gender-affirming health care providers and patients. Albrecht pointed to Hawaii, which enacted similar protections in 2023.
Related: For transgender people who rely on federal programs, this election could change everything.
This year, the Hawaii Legislature advanced HB1875, a bill that expands protections in the state’s existing shield law and explicitly targets gender-affirming health services. According to hawaii public radiothis law protects health care providers from out-of-state lawsuits, licensing implications, and insurance retaliation related to transgender health care.
“As we resist attacks on gender-affirming care and reproductive rights, New Jersey joins Hawaii to show we can fight back and win,” Albrecht said.
Source: Advocate.com – www.advocate.com
