A patient who believed she had gender dysphoria is suing Planned Parenthood and a doctor at its Fairview Heights facility for subjecting her to “masculinizing hormone treatment” without seeking psychological evaluations for proper diagnosis.
Plaintiff Ciara Summers filed the lawsuit on Feb. 26 in the Madison County Circuit Court against Planned Parenthood and Dr. Margaret Baum, who practices medicine at the Planned Parenthood office in Fairview Heights.
According to the complaint, Summers began seeing Baum on Sept. 20, 2021, for what she believed to be gender dysphoria. Baum undertook Summers’ medical care and began treatment.
According to Mayo Clinic, gender dysphoria is “the feeling of discomfort or distress that might occur in people whose gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth or sex-related physical characteristics.”
Summers claims Baum violated the medical standard of care by failing to perform any tests or evaluations to determine whether Summers did in fact have gender dysphoria and failed to perform or order a psychological evaluation to determine whether the treatment was appropriate.
Summers also alleges Baum permitted her to determine whether she wanted masculinizing hormone treatment despite having no experience in the matter and was not qualified to do so. The treatment included testosterone treatment.
The website for Planned Parenthood’s Fairview Heights facility lists “gender-affirming care” as part of their services, including hormone therapy, gynecologic surgery such as hysterectomy and oophorectomy, other surgery referrals, case management and care coordination, among other services.
Planned Parenthood has not yet responded to a request for comment.
Summers claims she didn’t discover the negligent conduct of Baum and Planned Parenthood until May 2022.
“As a result of the defendant’s negligence, plaintiff suffered a substantial injury due to the negligent treatment she received,” the complaint states.
Summers alleges she suffered “great pain and anguish, has incurred substantial medical expenses, and has experienced a substantial loss of her normal life.”
Summers seeks a judgment in excess of $50,000, plus any other relief the court deems just. She is represented by attorneys John J. Hopkins of John J. Hopkins & Associates and Ronald Roth of Roth Law Offices.
Madison County Circuit Court case number 24-LA-288