California AG Sues Hospital Over Gender Reassignment Treatment for Minors
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has initiated legal action against a San Diego hospital, Rady Children’s Hospital, for its decision to cease gender reassignment services for minors, following a request from the Trump administration.
Bonta claims that the hospital breached its merger agreement with Children’s Hospital of Orange County by stopping transgender-related care for individuals under 18.
The issues reportedly arose after the federal government threatened to withdraw funding and potentially shut the hospital down for providing gender reassignment treatments to underage patients.
Legal Challenge Over Treatment Discontinuation
The hospital’s agreement to comply with the Trump administration’s directive led to the announcement that their gender transition care center would close, which subsequently prompted Bonta to file a lawsuit.
The lawsuit contends that the hospital failed to uphold its commitment to continue offering gender reassignment care for minors as per their merger terms.
The hospital explained in a statement that the recent shifts in gender-affirming care services resulted from “very difficult decisions” regarding their role as a not-for-profit pediatric health system aimed at serving all children and families.
This development follows a year since President Trump issued an executive order mandating the Department of Health and Human Services to protect children from what he referred to as “chemical and surgical mutilation.” The administration has been actively targeting facilities providing transgender treatment options for minors.
Last year, California was part of a coalition comprising 19 Democratic-led states and Washington, D.C., that filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s proclamation restricting gender reassignment treatments for minors.
Federal Stance on Gender Dysphoria Treatments
In related statements, the Department of Health and Human Services has categorized treatments like puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and gender reassignment surgery as unsafe and ineffective for children dealing with gender dysphoria. They also warned that healthcare providers could face exclusion from federal health programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, if they performed these procedures on minors.
