A group of Texas families and doctors have filed a lawsuit in state court to challenge a new law in Texas that prohibits gender-affirming care for minors. They argue that the law violates parental rights and discriminates against transgender teenagers.
About 20 states have enacted laws to ban certain gender-affirming care for minors. However, half of these laws are not yet in effect or are temporarily on hold by courts. In June, a judge also halted the enforcement of Tennessee’s ban, but an appeals court has allowed it to take effect for now. Texas’ law, signed by Governor Greg Abbott in June, is set to go into effect on September 1.
The lawsuit claims that the ban will have severe consequences for transgender teenagers in Texas, who will be unable to access essential medical treatment recommended by their physicians and parents. One plaintiff, the parent of a transgender 12-year-old girl, states in the lawsuit, “Because of recent political attacks against transgender Texans, and (the law) SB 14 in particular, my ability to be a great dad for my kid has become much more difficult.”
The Texas law would prohibit transgender minors from receiving hormone therapies, puberty blockers, and transition surgeries, even though medical experts rarely perform such procedures on children. Children who are already receiving such care would be required to gradually discontinue it in a medically appropriate manner. The lawsuit argues that many transgender teenagers would suffer the negative effects of losing necessary medical treatment and experiencing unwanted and distressing changes to their bodies.
Opponents of gender-affirming care argue that there is insufficient evidence of its benefits, citing discredited research. However, major medical organizations, including the American Medical Association, have opposed the bans and support appropriate medical care for youth. Last year, Governor Abbott ordered an investigation into families receiving care, but it was later halted by a Texas judge. In response, lawmakers created SB 14 during this year’s legislative session to codify the ban into law.
The ban on transgender care for minors was a highly contentious issue during Texas’ legislative session, with transgender rights activists staging protests in the Texas House. Children’s hospitals providing such care have also faced harassment and threats of violence. Former Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had initiated investigations into transgender care at an Austin hospital, but he currently faces a Senate impeachment trial in September on unrelated allegations.