2026 Advocacy Activities
The Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine is pleased to partner with various groups in advocating for the health and well-being of adolescents. Below is a list of advocacy and sign-on activities that SAHM has undertaken in the current year.
April
- SAHM has joined an amicus brief in TD v. Wrigley, a case currently before the North Dakota Supreme Court challenging the state’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors. The law was upheld by a lower court, and the plaintiffs have appealed, seeking reversal. Through this amicus participation, SAHM is supporting efforts to ensure that judicial consideration of the case reflects established medical evidence and the importance of access to evidence-based, developmentally appropriate care for adolescents.
- SAHM joined a coalition—including the American Medical Association and other national partners—in supporting H.R. 7961, the H-1Bs for Physicians and the Healthcare Workforce Act. This bipartisan bill would exempt physicians and other health care workers from a proposed $100,000 H-1B visa fee and prevent additional fee increases beyond current law. The coalition emphasizes that rising costs are already harming health care recruitment, particularly for safety-net settings, and underscores the essential role of international medical graduates in maintaining access to care.
- SAHM joined the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and a broad coalition of medical, public health, and research organizations in supporting FY2027 funding for gun violence prevention research. The sign-on letter calls on Congress to allocate $35 million to the CDC, $25 million to the NIH, and $1 million to the NIJ to advance critical research addressing firearm-related injury and death.
- SAHM has joined an amicus brief in TD v. Wrigley, a case currently before the North Dakota Supreme Court challenging the state’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors. The law was upheld by a lower court, and the plaintiffs have appealed, seeking reversal. Through this amicus participation, SAHM is supporting efforts to ensure that judicial consideration of the case reflects established medical evidence and the importance of access to evidence-based, developmentally appropriate care for adolescents.
March
- SAHM has joined a trio of amicus briefs (AAP v. FTC; WPATH v. FTC; Endocrine Society v. FTC) supporting a preliminary injunction to halt the Federal Trade Commission’s Civil Investigative Demands (CIDs) issued to the American Academy of Pediatrics, World Professional Association for Transgender Health, and the Endocrine Society regarding gender-affirming care guidelines. The brief(s) argue that these actions could chill open scientific dialogue essential to developing evidence-based clinical guidance and undermine care for a recognized medical condition (gender dysphoria).
February
- SAHM submits its own comments and signs on to coalition comments in response to proposed HHS rules that, if adopted, would deny transgender and gender-diverse youth access to medically necessary, evidence-based care by requiring children’s hospitals to cease such care and by eliminating Medicaid and CHIP coverage for gender-affirming medical services for individuals 19 and younger.
- Signatory to Amicus Brief: Flores v. Bondi (United States Court of Appeal for the Ninth Circuit). The brief argues that the Administration’s effort to terminate the Flores Settlement Agreement ignores decades of research, expert guidance, and legal precedent protecting immigrant children. The FSA requires humane treatment, least restrictive placement, and prompt release to reduce harm. Ending it would lead to longer, harsher detention of vulnerable children and is not in their best interests.
- SAHM signed onto a coalition letter from the Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research—representing 176 organizations—urging Congress to provide at least $51.3 billion in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in FY2027, an $4.1 billion (8.7%) increase over FY2026 levels. The letter emphasizes that sustained federal investment in NIH is essential to advancing medical breakthroughs, improving patient outcomes, supporting the biomedical workforce, and maintaining U.S. global leadership in research and innovation.
- SAHM endorses the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Immunization Schedule
- SAHM submits its own comments and signs on to coalition comments in response to proposed HHS rules that, if adopted, would deny transgender and gender-diverse youth access to medically necessary, evidence-based care by requiring children’s hospitals to cease such care and by eliminating Medicaid and CHIP coverage for gender-affirming medical services for individuals 19 and younger.
January
- SAHM joined a coalition of national organizations led by the American Academy of Pediatrics urging congressional leadership to take swift and robust oversight of recent changes to the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule announced on January 5, 2026. Prompt action is needed to protect vaccine availability and ensure continued coverage for all previously recommended immunizations.
- Signatory to Amicus Brief: Lighthiser v. Trump (The United States Court of Appeal for the Ninth Circuit). The amicus brief highlights how the challenged Executive Orders worsen climate change and air pollution, causing serious, lifelong health harms for children and youth. It emphasizes that these impacts, especially respiratory and heat-related illnesses, are ongoing, disproportionate, and preventable, and that blocking the Executive Orders would help reduce these harms.
- Signatory to Amicus Brief: Moe v. Yost (Ohio Supreme Court). This amicus brief affirms the medical consensus on gender identity and gender dysphoria, explains that gender-affirming medical care (GAMC) guidelines are evidence-based and developed using established clinical standards, refutes inaccurate claims supporting the Healthcare Ban, and describes the irreparable harm the ban would cause by denying adolescents medically necessary care and undermining clinical judgment and patient-family decision-making.
- SAHM joined a coalition of national organizations led by the American Academy of Pediatrics urging congressional leadership to take swift and robust oversight of recent changes to the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule announced on January 5, 2026. Prompt action is needed to protect vaccine availability and ensure continued coverage for all previously recommended immunizations.