The Colorado Supreme Court handed down a major ruling Monday ordering Children’s Hospital Colorado to resume providing gender transition treatments to minors after the hospital paused certain procedures over concerns tied to potential federal funding consequences under the Trump administration.
The decision marks another major flashpoint in the escalating national battle over transgender medical treatments for children and the growing clash between state protections and federal policy.
Children’s Hospital Colorado had suspended treatments including puberty blockers and hormone therapy for patients under 18 after the Department of Health and Human Services issued a declaration in December warning hospitals they could risk losing federal Medicaid funding if they continued offering such procedures to minors.
That warning came as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Trump administration intensified efforts to restrict or discourage pediatric gender transition treatments nationwide.
Four transgender minors, represented through their parents, sued the hospital after the pause was announced. They argued the decision violated Colorado’s anti-discrimination laws because the medications involved remained available to other minors for different medical conditions while being denied specifically in the context of gender transition care.
In a 5-2 ruling, the Colorado Supreme Court sided with the patients.
Justice William Hood III, writing for the majority, concluded that the immediate medical impact on the plaintiffs outweighed the potential future financial or regulatory risks facing the hospital.
“We conclude that the actual immediate and irreparable harm to petitioners outweighs the speculative harm CHC may face if the federal government further acts against it,” Hood wrote.
The court’s ruling effectively forces one of the nation’s leading pediatric hospitals to restart treatments while broader legal fights continue over federal authority and medical standards surrounding transgender care for minors.
Children’s Hospital Colorado responded cautiously after the ruling.
“Children’s Hospital Colorado is reviewing the court’s ruling and assessing our next steps,” the hospital said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. “While we do not have updates to share at this time, we will provide guidance in the near future.”
The legal battle traces back to a broader multistate lawsuit filed earlier this year by Colorado and 18 other states challenging the Trump administration’s efforts to pressure hospitals on pediatric transition procedures.
Those states argued HHS acted unlawfully by attempting to reshape medical policy without following required administrative procedures or undergoing formal rulemaking processes.
In March, U.S. District Judge Mustafa Kasubhai, a Biden appointee based in Oregon, issued a preliminary ruling siding against the administration. Kasubhai determined that Secretary Kennedy likely exceeded his legal authority when issuing the declaration and temporarily blocked HHS from enforcing it against healthcare providers.
That ruling remains in effect while litigation continues.
The Trump administration has made opposition to pediatric gender transition procedures a central part of its broader healthcare and cultural agenda during the president’s second term. Federal officials have repeatedly argued that minors cannot fully consent to irreversible medical interventions and that long-term scientific evidence surrounding such treatments remains insufficient.
Kennedy has framed the administration’s position as both scientific and ethical.
“On my watch, HHS will stand for radical transparency and informed consent,” Kennedy said in December.
“We follow the evidence. We employ gold standard science. We honor the moral obligation to do no harm.”
“There is divine worth in every person. It shines most brightly in our children that was commanded us to protect them.”
Supporters of the treatments argue the therapies are medically necessary and endorsed by major medical organizations for certain patients suffering from gender dysphoria. Critics, meanwhile, point to growing international scrutiny, evolving medical reviews in Europe, and concerns over long-term outcomes for minors undergoing transition-related interventions.
