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

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed a lawsuit against a San Diego hospital over its decision to end gender transition treatments for minors to comply with Trump administration demands.

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

Rady said the problem began when the federal government threatened to defund and close the hospital that provided gender transition treatment to children, the outlet reported.

CALIFORNIA’S GREAT HEALTH SYSTEM ENDS TRANSGENDER PROCEDURES FOR MINORS ACROSS ITS NETWORK

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed a lawsuit against a San Diego hospital over its decision to end gender transition treatment for minors. (Reuters/Fred Greaves/File photo)

The hospital agreed to the Trump administration’s demands and announced the closure of its gender transition care center, sparking a legal challenge in California, 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 accessible to minors.

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

California Attorney General Rob Bonta says Rady Children’s Hospital violated the terms of its merger agreement with Children’s Hospital of Orange County. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

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

This comes as the Trump administration continues to target facilities that provide transgender-related treatment to people under 18, following 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 among a group of 19 Democratic-led states and Washington, D.C., that filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over a declaration to restrict gender transition treatment for minors.

NEARLY 20 STATES SUIT HHS FOR DECLARATION RESTRICTING GENDER TRANSITION TREATMENT FOR MINORS

Rady Children’s Hospital said the federal government threatened to defund and close the hospital because it provided gender transition treatment to children. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

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This HHS statement described treatments such as puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and gender transition surgeries as dangerous and ineffective for children with gender dysphoria.

He also warned doctors that they could be barred from federal health programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, if they provided these treatments to minors.