Overview

• The pause on surgical procedures for patients under 19 takes effect August 29 while Kaiser maintains access to hormone therapy, puberty blockers and mental health services
• Kaiser officials cited subpoenas issued by the Trump administration and the threat of funding cuts as primary reasons for halting surgeries
• This decision comes after Stanford Medicine paused under-19 gender-affirming surgeries in early June and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles closed its transgender youth clinic in mid-July
• Assemblymember Christopher Ward condemned the move as “simply cruel” and a barrier to essential care, while parental rights groups praised it as protecting children
• Nurses’ associations and state Sen. Scott Wiener criticized Kaiser’s policy as unlawful and contrary to California law, arguing that gender-affirming procedures are safe and medically necessary