California AG sues San Diego hospital for ending gender treatment for minors

California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against a San Diego hospital over its move to end gender transition treatment for minors to comply with the Trump administration’s demands.

Bonta is arguing that Rady Children’s Hospital violated the terms of its merger agreement with Children’s Hospital of Orange County by halting transgender-related treatment for people under 18-years-old, according to KCRA3.

Rady said the issue began when the federal government threatened to strip funding and shut down the hospital for offering gender transition treatment to children, the outlet reported.

MAJOR CALIFORNIA HEALTH SYSTEM ENDING TRANSGENDER PROCEDURES FOR MINORS ACROSS ITS NETWORK

The hospital agreed to the Trump administration’s demands and announced the closure of its gender transition care center, prompting California’s legal challenge, according to the report.

Bonta’s lawsuit alleges that the hospital violated the terms of its merger agreement, which included a commitment to continue making gender transition care available to minors.

“The recent changes to our gender-affirming care services reflect a very difficult decision,” the hospital said in a statement to KCRA3.

“That decision was guided by our responsibilities as a nonprofit pediatric healthcare system to continue serving all children and families,” the statement continued.

This comes as the Trump administration continues to target facilities that offer transgender-related treatment to people under 18 after President Donald Trump’s executive order a year ago calling on the Department of Health and Human Services to protect children from “chemical and surgical mutilation.”

Last year, California was part of a group of 19 Democrat-led states and Washington, D.C., that filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over a declaration that seeks to restrict gender transition treatment for minors.

NEARLY 20 STATES SUE HHS OVER DECLARATION TO RESTRICT GENDER TRANSITION TREATMENT FOR MINORS

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That declaration from HHS described treatments such as puberty blockers, hormone therapy and gender transition surgeries as unsafe and ineffective for children experiencing gender dysphoria.

It also warned doctors they could be excluded from federal health programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, if they provide these treatments to minors.