California Will Fight Trump Order Ending Transgender Health Care for Minors

UPDATE: On February 21, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles told Capital & Main that it had reversed its decision to stop accepting new trans patients aged 19 and under for gender affirming care. The decision came after the U.S. District Court issued a temporary restraining order blocking Trump’s executive order restricting gender affirming care.

“In light of commitments from California Attorney General Bonta to seek additional protections for CHLA and its patients, CHLA is lifting its pause on the initiation of new hormonal therapies for patients seeking gender-affirming care, effective immediately,” Children’s Hospital Los Angeles said in a statement.

On Jan. 28, President Trump issued an executive order aimed at ending gender-affirming health care for transgender children and young adults. The order includes disinformation about that care, as well as about transgender youth. Use of gender-affirming care is supported by major American medical groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics.

In response, several hospitals across the country have halted or paused the treatments they provide, including Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. As of Feb. 1, the hospital stopped accepting new patients under the age of 19 seeking hormonal therapies, and was continuing a pause on gender-affirming surgeries that was already in place. Current patients will continue to receive their course of care. 

“We continue to carefully evaluate the executive order to fully understand its implications,” CHLA said in a statement. “CHLA will continue to support our patients and their families with access to robust mental health and social support services, ensuring our patients continue to have access to high-quality care and the best possible health outcomes.” 

While the order does not immediately change policy or regulations that guide access to gender-affirming care, it could, if implemented broadly,  significantly limit access for most young people nationwide. It also seeks to reinterpret Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act to remove protections on a basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Health programs that provide gender affirming care would, as a result, lose their federal funding. 

“This is malfeasance,” said Dr. Nagle, who is a member of the Committee of Interns and Residents, a union representing health care workers. Dr. Nagle, who asked that her first name not be used for fear of retribution, spoke to Capital & Main at a protest last Thursday outside of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles following the announcement of the pause in care. “They [CHLA administration] are knowingly, intentionally and actively harming our most vulnerable and innocent children. They are putting them at risk for poor health outcomes and suicide. That is unforgivable.” 

The decision by Children’s Hospital Los Angeles to halt treatment for new patients conflicts with guidance from California Attorney General Rob Bonta. Bonta joined attorneys general in 14 other states in a coalition that “reaffirm[s] their commitment to protecting access to gender-affirming care” and that the executive order “is wrong on the science and the law.” 

Bonta sent a letter to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles warning that withholding services for transgender patients is an act of discrimination.

The California Family Council, a nonprofit advocating for state laws that are derived from the Bible, celebrated CHLA’s decision: ”We praise God for this development…Together, we can ensure that every child receives care that honors both their dignity and their Creator’s design.”

The American Civil Liberties Union, Lambda Legal and two transgender young adults filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging Trump’s executive order as unlawful and unconstitutional. On Thursday, Judge Brendan Hurson issued a temporary restraining order blocking the order.

Copyright 2025 Capital & Main