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On April 14, 2025, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it was taking action to “protect whistleblowers who defend children.”
In response to President Trump’s executive order titled “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” HHS (in consultation with the Attorney General) published new guidance for “whistleblowers on the chemical and surgical mutilation of children.”
The guidance discusses how whistleblowers can disclose information consistent with the privacy requirements for protected health information of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). It also addresses the scope of whistleblower protections, including protection from retaliation and protections granted under HIPAA, the National Defense Authorization Act of 2013, the False Claims Act, and the Church Amendments.
The guidance explains that the Church Amendments (one of the over two dozen federal conscience protection laws) “protect employees from discrimination if, based on religious beliefs or moral convictions, they refuse to participate in child-mutilation procedures—including the use of puberty-blockers or cross-sex hormones—and/or raise an objection to a supervisor...
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