Planned Parenthood Sues Attorney General Bailey for Sham Transgender Care Investigation 

ST. LOUIS — Today, Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri (PPSLRSWMO) filed a lawsuit in the Circuit Court for the City of St. Louis against Attorney General Andrew Bailey, seeking to end his sham and unlawful investigation into PPSLRSWMO’s gender-affirming health care program. Bailey sent a Civil Investigative Demand to PPSLRSWMO that contained over 50 separate demands, pursuing HIPAA-protected patient health information and every document that references “social media'' or “Tik Tok.” This investigation is not only outside the scope of the attorney general’s power but politically motivated.   

This investigation comes as the attorney general promised to issue emergency regulations effectively banning gender-affirming care for young people, on the false premise that this evidence-based care is “experimental.” Attorney General Bailey has admitted to using every “legal recourse” to counter so-called “woke left-wing ideologues” and to fill in the “gap” while the General Assembly considers dozens of bills taking aim at young trans people by restricting access to health care, education, and sports.

Statement from Yamelsie Rodríguez, president and CEO, Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri:

“Planned Parenthood knows this playbook well, and we’ll move forward just like we have in every other sham investigation — we’ll continue providing expert and evidence-based health care while we fight in court. This investigation is what ignorance and transphobia look like, and they have no place in our exam rooms.

“To our trans and non-binary patients: our doors remain open to you. We are not backing down.”

Attorney General Bailey’s attacks against gender-affirming care have been riddled with medical inaccuracies that do nothing to address the real and harmful public health epidemics harming Missourians — gun violence, syphilis, and maternal mortality. Gender-affirming care has been recognized as essential and life-saving by more than two dozen leading medical organizations, some of which have denounced Bailey’s attacks, underscoring the misguided nature of Bailey’s investigation.  

PPSLRSWMO’s TRANSforming Community, TRANSforming Care (TC2) program, has provided life-saving gender-affirming care to more than 1,000 patients. The program is designed to be responsive to the community’s needs and reduce barriers trans and gender-expansive people face in accessing health care. Through direct patient care, trauma-informed research, and the development and delivery of an innovative sex education curriculum, TC2 is proud of the ongoing work with, in, and for the community. 

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Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri has been the leading provider, educator, and protector of reproductive health care in St. Louis and Southwest Missouri for over 90 years. Patients can make appointments online or by phone at 1-800-230-PLAN(7526).