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Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law that puts medical records related to gender-affirming care under seal. This comes as the Trump administration attempts to crack down on healthcare for transgender people nationwide through subpoenas and investigations.<\/p>\n
What it does: SB 497, which Newsom signed into law this week, puts the following protections in place:<\/p>\n
Law enforcement, both in and out of California, needs a warrant to seek information from the state health care database.It is now a misdemeanor for an individual to knowingly share health data from databases maintained by the state if a warrant is not issued.Health care providers are prohibited from complying with subpoenas aimed at obtaining sensitive medical records related to gender-affirming care<\/p>\n
What\u2019s now protected: Patients\u2019 names, addresses, genders and pharmacy information are included in the database and will now be protected by law. The bill’s author, state Sen. Scott Wiener, said this was necessary to protect patients from “hostile actors.”<\/p>\n
What the bill\u2019s author says: \u201cPresident [Donald] Trump has made it clear he is willing to violate laws and norms to target transgender people and that he will not stop until their existence has been erased from public life,\u201d Wiener said in a statement<\/a>. \u201cCalifornia must do everything in our power to protect the transgender community.\u201d<\/p>\n The context: This comes as the White House has attempted to restrict gender-affirming care for minors and others, even as major medical associations argue it should be protected. Children\u2019s Hospital Los Angeles closed its Center for Transyouth Health and Development<\/a> amid the crackdown, and other providers<\/a> have moved to restrict care.<\/p>\n California\u2019s previous shield laws: Another shield law aimed at making California a \u201cstate of refuge\u201d for trans people was signed in 2022. That law also limits access to patient data and protects medical providers in California from being prosecuted under out-of-state laws that prohibit gender-affirming care.<\/p>\n How this could affect hospitals: Children\u2019s hospitals around the country reportedly received subpoenas seeking a broad swath of information from underage patients, from records of conversations with doctors to patients\u2019 social security numbers. CHLA has not confirmed whether or not it received such a subpoena or whether it has complied with it if so.<\/p>\n