LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – Children’s Hospital Los Angeles has announced that it is pausing transgender hormonal therapy for patients under the age of 19.
In a statement issued Tuesday, hospital officials said they are suspending the care to assess an executive order signed last week by President Trump banning the use of hormones, puberty blockers and other transgender medical procedures on minors.
“It is the policy of the United States that it will not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called ‘transition’ of a child from one sex to another, and it will rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures,” the order reads.
Families of transgender youth represented by the ACLU, Lambda Legal and other firms filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the order on Tuesday, claiming it violated the rights of transgender youth, the Los Angeles Times reported.
In a statement to KTLA, CHLA said the pause, which began on Feb. 1, only impacts minors going forward and not current patients.
“Current patients already receiving treatment will continue with their course of care,” the hospital said. “We continue to carefully evaluate the Executive Order to fully understand its implications. The physical and mental health, safety and well-being of all of our patients remains our highest priority.”
In a statement, Equality California, the state’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, called the hospital’s decision “alarming.”
“Decisions about medical care for young people should be made between doctors and families—not by politicians like Donald Trump,” the organization said in a statement. “Every American, including transgender youth, has the right to access healthcare free from discrimination, and California law protects the families seeking this care and the medical professionals who provide it.”
