Colorado Supreme Court orders Children’s Hospital Colorado to resume gender-affirming care

The Colorado Supreme Court on May 18 ordered Children’s Hospital Colorado to resume medically necessary gender-affirming care for transgender minors, after the hospital paused that care earlier this year amid federal pressure.

In a 5-2 ruling in Boe v. Children’s Hospital Colorado, the justices directed the lower court to issue a preliminary injunction requiring the hospital to restart treatment while the case continues.

The decision marks a major step in a fight that began in January, when the hospital halted gender-affirming care for patients under 18 after a federal investigation and threats to its funding, according to reporting cited in the court record and contemporaneous coverage.

The case reached the Colorado Supreme Court after the court issued an order to show cause in March. The May 18 ruling is not a final resolution of the lawsuit, but it does mean the hospital must resume care unless the order is stayed or otherwise altered during further proceedings.

The ruling comes as Colorado officials have argued that gender-affirming care remains protected under state law. A separate state attorney general statement in January described the federal pressure on care as an attack on treatment available under Colorado law.

What happens next is still unclear. The open questions include whether Children’s Hospital Colorado will comply immediately, seek further review, or wait for the lower court to enter the injunction.