CHOC to extend trans youth care for 6 months. Where does that leave families?

More than 1,000 families in Southern California learned this week that they will be able to access healthcare for transgender youth under 19 for at least another six months. That’s according to an extended temporary restraining order in a court case between the state of California and Rady Children’s Health, which operates the largest hospital networks for kids in the region.

The agreement is the longest guarantee of medical care these families have had since January for the network that includes Children’s Hospital of Orange County and Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego.

While patient advocates told LAist the news is welcome, they also said it’s been a confusing time for families.

What’s in the agreement?

The California Attorney General’s Office, which sued Rady Children’s Health in January after the hospital announced it would stop gender-affirming care for people under 19, confirmed that the care at Rady hospitals will continue until the court issues a ruling on a permanent injunction. That hearing is slated for January 2027.

The temporary restraining order also now explicitly protects doctors’ ability to prescribe puberty-blocking implants when deemed medically appropriate. The Attorney General’s Office said that this provision was put in at their request.

The judge overseeing the case has issued or extended temporary restraining orders requiring Rady hospitals to continue offering gender-affirming healthcare to people under 19 multiple times since February.

The state of California also said in a June 22 court filing that there was no evidence that Rady Children’s Health has been served with a subpoena for patients’ health records, which advocates say the federal government has used as a tactic to intimidate hospitals into stopping gender-affirming care for people under 19.

How advocates are responding

Advocates for trans youth healthcare access say that the news is a welcome reprieve for families.

“We're very happy that the [Attorney General’s Office] is pushing this as hard as they are, and the judge just keeps extending this [temporary restraining order] time and time again,” said Kathie Moehlig, director of the nonprofit TransFamily Support Services.

But Moehlig, who works directly with families to connect them to gender-affirming care providers, said the situation is also proving “very confusing” for families, who say the hospital hasn’t been properly communicating important updates to them.

Patient families also launched their own lawsuit against Rady Children’s Health in March seeking to restore the care at the hospital system, alleging that the hospital’s plans to end care at its hospital violated state anti-discrimination law.

“This is an incredibly important time in this country where the federal government has targeted this medical care, not based on science or medicine, but based on politics,” said attorney Amy Whelan of the National Center for LGBTQ Rights, part of the legal team representing Rady patient families.

Rady Children’s Health did not respond to a request for comment before publication.

What this means for families with trans kids

Advocates have stressed that gender-affirming care for youth is legal, and families should continue to seek it if needed for their children. California has passed shield laws protecting the care within state boundaries.

“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 Whelan.

Moehlig of TransFamily Support Services said that she hopes Rady Children’s Health will be more communicative with patient families in the months ahead.

“If you're not following what's happening, if you haven't seen today or yesterday's news, you might not know that they're still open,” she said.

The state’s lawsuit against Rady Children’s Health will not have implications for other hospitals in the state. California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s lawsuit specifically cited a merger agreement his office approved in 2024 in which Rady Children’s Health hospitals agreed to maintain their current level of gender-affirming care.

What's next

The extension of gender-affirming care at CHOC and Rady’s other hospitals comes as advocates are seeking to beef up protections for trans healthcare, especially as the federal government issues a fresh round of subpoenas to hospitals around the country, some of which have already been blocked.

Advocates are also watching to see if Gov. Gavin Newsom will approve increased funding aimed at protecting gender-affirming care and reproductive healthcare. Tens of millions of dollars were proposed for the California budget but didn’t make it into Newsom’s version. The governor has until Tuesday to decide whether to include the funding.