ACPeds Files Amicus Brief in Hudacko v. Regents of the University of California to Defend Parental Rights in California

For Immediate Release:
September 9, 2026

For More Information Contact:
media@acpeds.org

ACPeds Files Amicus Brief in Hudacko v. Regents of the University of California to Defend Parental Rights in California

Medical organization urges Supreme Court to uphold parental consent for sex-rejecting procedures involving minors

Atlanta, GA — Today, the American College of Pediatricians filed an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to hear Hudacko v. Regents of the University of California, the case of a California father who emerged from his divorce with a single parental right intact: no “gender identity related surgery” could be performed on his minor son without his written consent.

Doctors at a University of California gender clinic surgically implanted a puberty-blocking device in his son’s arm anyway, roughly a year after they had been put on notice of the court order and his refusal to consent. The lower courts dismissed his lawsuit, reasoning that it was unclear whether the implant procedure qualified as “surgery.”

ACPeds’ brief points to the medical record to answer that question: the drug’s own labeling states that “[i]nsertion of the SUPPRELIN LA implant is a surgical procedure”; the billing code used by the clinic classifies the procedure as surgery; and the clinicians involved, including physicians central to WPATH, had described this same device as “surgically inserted” in their own published guidance.

The stakes extend beyond one family. A 2025 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report estimated nearly $120 million in hospital and clinic billings nationwide since 2019 for dangerous, unproven sex-rejecting procedures performed on minors, underscoring the broader significance of parental rights and informed consent in this area of pediatric medicine.

Dr. Jill Simons, Executive Director of ACPeds’ released the following statement:

“ACPeds filed this brief because pediatricians should never cut parents out of medical decision-making about their child’s body, especially when harmful and potentially irreversible sex-rejecting procedures are involved. ACPeds is proud to support Mr. Hudacko in his fight to protect his son. Parents must retain the ability to defend their children from medical interventions to which they have not consented, and physicians must be held accountable when those rights are disregarded.”

BiologicalIntegrity.com, a project of ACPeds, is a reliable medical resource providing evidence-based information about sex-identity distress for parents, teens, physicians, schools, and policymakers.

To arrange an interview with Dr. Simons, please email media@acpeds.org.

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About the American College of Pediatricians

The American College of Pediatricians is a medical membership organization of pediatricians and healthcare professionals who care for children across 47 states and 5 countries. We promote the optimal health and well-being of all children through evidence-based medicine.

For more information, please visit our website at www.acpeds.org.