The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced an investigation that may simply be an attempt to prevent access to gender-affirming care. The investigation targets the specter of health care professionals being pressured to provide care that might be against their moral or religious views, but experts suggest that it is really about creating an atmosphere of fear around offering gender-affirming care and abortion care.The OCR press releasefrom Tuesday reveals a major investigation into the health department of a state that is not named in the announcement. The OCR suggested that its licensing policies, interpretations, or enforcement practices regarding behavioral health might violate federal law by discriminating against providers who refuse to provide certain types of care or by requiring them to provide that care. Behavioral health refers to mental health, substance abuse, and associated conditions and symptoms. Related Allowing parents to opt kids out of lessons doesnt protect religious freedom. It destroys it. In particular, the investigation targets sex-rejecting procedures, female genital mutilation, and abortion. Both sex-rejecting procedures and female genital mutilation seem to be intended to target gender affirming care with inaccurate and derogatory terms. The Department of Justice, this year, said that it would try to prosecute doctors who provide gender-affirming care under a law that bans female genital mutilation.It is important to note that the presidential administration has not shown any interest in addressing the nonconsensual surgeries conducted on intersex children. Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today As the press release does not name the state the OCR is investigating, it is unclear what they believe is a possible violation. Some medical organizations in the United States and some state laws require providers to either administer care or, if it conflicts with their religious or moral views, provide a timely referral to another provider.The OCR claims that the investigation is driven by a need for more healthcare providers to be available, seemingly suggesting that behavioral healthcare providers are choosing not to practice because they fear being required to violate their own beliefs. Paula M. Stannard, the OCRs director, said in the announcement, Amid a national shortage of behavioral health providers, every qualified professional is essential to meeting the needs of people in crisis. OCR is committed to ensuring that faith-based organizations can contribute fully and that no provider is asked to violate their religious beliefs or moral convictions as they step forward to serve.While the presidential administration is eager to claim that this is about religious and moral freedom, advocacy experts insist that these sorts of investigations are about creating a system of fear and deterring doctors from providing certain types of care at all.Theyre only obsessed with preventing trans people from accessing the care that their bodies need, Adrian Shanker, a deputy assistant secretary for health policy under Biden, told Advocate. Between these investigations, consistent rule changes, and public announcements of federal enforcement plans, Shanker suggests that the intended effect is to leave healthcare providers wrong-footed and unsure of what they can do without fearing reprisal from the federal government. The result, Shanker says, is for providers to offer compliance in advance, or to roll back their offerings of abortion or gender-affirming care entirely.The HHSs announcement is light on specifics, and it asks anyone who feels theyve been discriminated against for their exercise of conscience to come forward. This might suggest that they are seeking justification for an expanded investigation or an ideal plaintiff for a test case.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.