DENVER — The Colorado Supreme Court ordered Children's Hospital Colorado to resume gender-affirming medical treatments for transgender minors, including puberty blockers and hormone therapy. The court ruled 5-2 that the hospital's decision to shutter the services violated the state's antidiscrimination law.

Children's Hospital Colorado suspended the treatments for transgender patients under 18 in January, after it said the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services opened an investigation into its practices. The hospital said the investigation followed a declaration by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. calling treatments such as puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgeries unsafe and ineffective for children and adolescents experiencing gender dysphoria. The investigation opened following a series of clashes between President Donald Trump's administration and advocates over transgender health care for children. There had been threats that providing gender-affirming care could lead to the loss of federal funding.

Four transgender girls, aged 10 to 17, sued the hospital through their parents, alleging it was violating the state's antidiscrimination law by refusing to provide treatment because of their gender identity and their disability, gender dysphoria, which is the distress caused when someone's gender expression does not match their sex assigned at birth. The girls said they feared not being able to obtain medication and monitoring to prevent undergoing puberty and developing male traits, and they cited mental health impacts including depression and suicidal ideation. According to the lawsuit, the hospital's TRUE Center is one of the largest programs in the country and the only comprehensive care center in the Rocky Mountain region.

The Colorado Supreme Court sided with the girls in the 5-2 ruling. Justice William Wood III wrote for the majority: "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."

Justice Brian Boatright dissented, stating the hospital did not stop services because of the patients' gender identity. "It was a decision driven by the direct threat to the viability of the entire hospital," Boatright wrote.

In a statement, Children's Hospital Colorado said it is reviewing the ruling and considering its next steps. The hospital said it would continue to provide mental health treatment for minors and medical treatment for patients aged 18 to 21.