Theresa Gaffney

I wrote about gender-affirming surgery — what it means to the people that get it, its evolution as a professional specialty in the U.S., and how the incoming administration could put all of that at risk: statnews.com/2024/12/23/gen…

Breaking: A U.S. district judge in Oregon said he will vacate a declaration made late last year by health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that asserted gender-affirming care for young trans people does not meet medical standards of care.statnews.com/2026/03/19/jud…

Federal judges have consistently quashed DOJ subpoenas on gender-affirming care, using strong language to call the investigations an overreach executed “in bad faith.” Today, DOJ got its first shot at an appeal, vs a small telehealth clinic. The stakes: statnews.com/2026/03/06/tru…

It's time to VOTE! #STATMadness is back! Our bracket-style contest to find the best innovation in science and medicine. Help us crown a new champ! Vote now: trib.al/1yoBby1

Really great reporting from @MeganMolteni, which also shows that people in 2013 could google Epstein and realize they should not be associated with him

ACOG released its first clinical guidance on diagnosing endometriosis Friday. Notably, the group recommended against any use of biomarker tests that analyze blood, urine, or other samples. More in today's newsletter: statnews.com/2026/02/23/hea…

“I don’t know that this is going to be the straw that breaks the camel’s back in any one scenario,” one expert told me re: the ASPS and AMA statements on gender-affirming surgery. “The pressure [medical institutions] are already facing is substantial.” statnews.com/2026/02/10/med…

I tallied the hospitals and health systems that have stopped providing gender-affirming care to young people in the last year (so you don't have to) This includes 9 that have stopped providing hormones and puberty blockers since the beginning of the year. statnews.com/2026/02/05/hos…

In a break from other major U.S. medical groups, plastic surgeons society recommends delaying gender-affirming procedures until age 19 w/ @_gaffknee statnews.com/2026/02/03/gen…

Breaking from ⁦@ChelseaCirruzzo⁩ ⁦@HelenBranswell⁩ statnews.com/2026/01/05/chi…

19 states are suing HHS over last week's gender-affirming care crackdown — particularly Kennedy's declaration. Chelsea has the details: statnews.com/2025/12/24/gen…

BREAKING: Trump admin officially proposes new CMS rules to restrict trans health care, including one that would change the conditions for hospitals to participate in Medicare/Medicaid by barring those that offer gender-affirming care to minors. statnews.com/2025/12/18/tra…

Marjorie Taylor Greene's bill prohibiting gender-affirming care for young trans people has passed the House. Story updated:

Republicans in Congress are making a renewed push before the end of the year to pass major federal restrictions to gender-affirming care for trans minors. There will likely be a vote today, and more to come before the end of the week: statnews.com/2025/12/17/hou…

This article can be found here: statnews.com/2025/08/05/mrn…

What MAHA gets right — and wrong — about European food: statnews.com/2025/07/10/mah…

The DOJ has issued “nearly 20 subpoenas” to clinics that provide gender-affirming care per DOJ's Chad Mizelle, who spoke at an all-day FTC workshop focused how the federal government might continue its crusade against trans health care. I watched: statnews.com/2025/07/09/doj…

Wrote about a new systematic review on the symptoms that people do (or don't?) experience when they stop taking antidepressants. If you got spooked when RFK Jr. said during his confirmation hearing that it's as hard as getting off of heroin, take a read: statnews.com/2025/07/09/ant…

#Breaking: The Senate passed a $4.5 trillion tax cut bill after last-minute changes to its health care provisions, as Republicans scrambled to get their party on board. trib.al/seVM5yZ

Supreme Court rejects challenge to free preventive care, bolsters RFK Jr.’s power statnews.com/2025/06/27/sup… via @statnews

“This is more important than people realize," law professor Nicole Huberfeld told me. Trans rights are "really the canary in the coal mine of how we treat people who are vulnerable minorities and whether they can get access to medical care that they need.” statnews.com/2025/06/18/sup…

Just made an update to this story. While there are obvious, devastating consequences to this ruling for trans youth in states with bans, it doesn't stop there. There could also be implications for how states regulate medical care broadly and for federal legislation.