“Every medical doctor in the gender-affirming care clinic has independently decided they will not prescribe or renew gender-affirming medications for patients under age 18.”
A Colorado court may have ordered Children's Hospital Colorado to resume providing so-called "gender-affirming care" to minors, but the doctors tasked with carrying it out have refused. The hospital confirmed on Monday that it was complying with a court order requiring the treatments to be reinstated while simultaneously revealing that none of the physicians in its gender clinic are willing to prescribe them.
"Every medical doctor in the gender-affirming care clinic has independently decided they will not prescribe or renew gender-affirming medications for patients under age 18," the hospital said in a statement to the Colorado Sun. The decision comes weeks after the Colorado Supreme Court ruled 5-2 in favor of trans-identifying patients who sued the hospital after it suspended puberty blockers and cross-sex hormone treatments earlier this year. According to Children's Hospital Colorado, physicians working in the clinic "determined after seeking their own legal advice that providing the care might mean they lose their licenses or are targeted with criminal charges."
The doctors are employed through the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine and retain authority over what medications they prescribe. The hospital said the physicians' concerns stem from "recent actions against providers and hospitals in other states." Among the examples cited were federal investigations in Texas. According to the Sun, the hospital pointed to reports that a federal grand jury in Texas is issuing criminal subpoenas related to pediatric gender medicine, while Texas Children's Hospital agreed in a settlement with the Department of Justice to revoke the privileges of several physicians involved in providing such treatments. The hospital also cited a settlement involving Ohio's Cleveland Clinic.
Children's Hospital originally halted the treatments in January following federal pressure and concerns over potential funding consequences. The facility argued that losing federal support would jeopardize care for thousands of patients, roughly half of whom rely on Medicaid.
The Colorado Supreme Court ultimately sided with families who argued the hospital's decision was discriminatory because puberty blockers and hormone treatments remained available for other medical conditions while being denied to trans-identifying minors. The state's high court handed the case back down, saying the judge should issue an injunction requiring the hospital to perform the treatments, which Denver District Judge Ericka Englert did.
The plaintiffs' attorneys blasted Monday's announcement. Attorney Paula Greisen called the move "shameful" and accused the hospital of attempting to avoid the court's order. She said the hospital was "throwing the providers 'under the bus'" after previously directing staff to stop providing the treatments. Colorado's highest court has ordered the treatments restored, while every doctor working in the clinic has independently concluded that the legal risks are too significant.
The hospital maintains the right of individual physicians to choose whether or not to prescribe medications.
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