The Administration for Children and Families sent letters to all 50 states on March 3, reminding child welfare agencies that a parent's refusal to support a child's gender identification cannot, by itself, justify removing a child from the home. The guidance says removal decisions must be grounded in objective evidence of abuse or imminent risk of serious harm, not a parent's sincerely held religious beliefs or moral convictions.
ACF Assistant Secretary Alex Adams said any removal must be based on objective evidence or imminent risk of serious harm. The letter encouraged states to define abuse and neglect in ways that make clear that affirming a child's biological sex and declining sex-related medical interventions does not, on its own, meet that standard.