Children's Hospital of Orange County and its parent network will continue providing gender-affirming care to patients under 19 for at least six more months, under an agreement reached in court between Rady Children's Health and the California Attorney General's Office, LAist reported.
For the roughly 1,450 families affected, the deal extends an existing court order while a lawsuit over whether the hospital can end the program proceeds toward a ruling expected in early 2027.
What the order covers
The agreement keeps in place services a San Diego Superior Court judge first ordered the hospital network to maintain earlier this year. The care covered includes hormone therapy and puberty-blocking medications deemed medically necessary; surgical procedures are not part of the protected services, according to LAist.
"Patients are protected, and Rady Children's Health is continuing this care, and they will do that for at least the next six months," said Amy Whelan of the National Center for LGBTQ Rights.
How the hospital got here
The dispute grew out of federal pressure on gender-affirming care for minors. In January 2025, President Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to limit such care, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services later proposed rules that could strip reimbursements from providers — a serious financial threat to a safety-net hospital that depends on those programs. Early this year, Rady announced it would close its gender-care center, calling the decision difficult and tied to its obligation to keep participating in "essential federal programs."
That announcement affected about 1,450 patients under 19 across CHOC and Rady's San Diego hospital, according to the attorney general's office.
The legal hinge
California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued Rady not on civil-rights grounds but on contract grounds. When the state approved Rady's merger with CHOC in 2024, it required the network to maintain existing specialty services — including gender-affirming care — and to get the attorney general's approval before cutting them. Bonta argued the hospital "flagrantly disregarded its legal obligations" by moving to end the program. Some advocates questioned the state's choice of legal theory, wondering why it relied on merger conditions rather than anti-discrimination law.
A contested national debate
The case sits within a broader national fight. Major pediatric groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, support gender-affirming care for minors and have criticized federal efforts to restrict it. Opponents, including some federal officials and a number of medical bodies, argue the long-term evidence for the treatments is insufficient and that interventions for minors should be limited; the U.S. Supreme Court in 2025 upheld a state ban on puberty blockers and hormones for transgender minors. A growing number of states now restrict the care, leaving California among those where it remains legally protected.
What comes next
The six-month extension preserves the status quo while the lawsuit against Rady moves toward a decision expected in early 2027. That ruling could either restore the program to its pre-merger footing or allow the hospital to wind it down. For families who rely on CHOC for their children's care, the coming months — and the calendar set by the court — now carry enormous weight.
