A lawsuit has been filed in state court by a group of Texas families and doctors, aiming to challenge the newly implemented law in Texas that prohibits gender-affirming care for minors. The plaintiffs argue that the law infringes upon parental rights and discriminates against transgender teenagers.
Currently, approximately 20 states have enacted laws to restrict certain forms of gender-affirming care for minors. However, half of these laws are not currently in effect. This could be due to recent passage without implementation or because enforcement has been temporarily halted by courts, as seen in Arkansas, Indiana, and Kentucky.
In June, a judge also temporarily blocked the enforcement of Tennessee’s ban. However, an appeals court ruled this month that the ban can be implemented, at least for the time being.
On Wednesday, a lawsuit was filed in Texas against a law that was signed by Governor Greg Abbott in June and is scheduled to go into effect on September 1. The lawsuit asserts that the ban will have severe consequences for transgender teenagers in Texas, as they will be unable to receive crucial medical treatments that are recommended by their doctors and supported by their parents.
One of the plaintiffs, the parent of a transgender 12-year-old girl, expressed concern about the well-being of their child due to recent political attacks on transgender individuals, specifically referencing the law SB 14. They stated that their ability to be a supportive parent has been significantly hindered.
The office of Governor Abbott has not provided an immediate response to a request for comment regarding the lawsuit.
The Texas law seeks to prohibit transgender minors from accessing hormone therapies, puberty blockers, and transition surgeries. However, medical experts emphasize that such surgical procedures are rarely performed on children. For those who have already initiated such care, the law mandates a gradual discontinuation in a “medically appropriate” manner.
The lawsuit highlights the potential dire consequences for transgender teenagers who may face the abrupt loss of necessary medical treatment and endure distressing and unwanted changes to their bodies. Richard Ogden Roberts, a doctor who is a plaintiff in the lawsuit, expressed deep concerns about his patients’ well-being if SB 14 is implemented. He spoke on behalf of himself and his patients, emphasizing that they may be forced to make a difficult choice between adhering to their medical oaths or complying with the state’s new law.
As more states enact similar bans, families of transgender youth are increasingly compelled to travel out of state in search of the necessary care for their children. Major medical organizations, including the American Medical Association, have opposed these bans and advocated for appropriate medical care for young people. In contrast, opponents of gender-affirming care argue that the benefits are unsubstantiated, often relying on discredited research, and assert that children should not make life-altering decisions they may later regret.
Last year, Governor Abbott ordered an investigation into families receiving gender-affirming care, but these investigations were later halted by a Texas judge.
During the state’s biennial legislative session in January, legislators in Austin introduced SB 14, which officially enshrined a ban on transgender care for minors into Texas law. This ban on transgender care emerged as one of the most contentious issues during the session. Transgender rights activists staged protests in the Texas House, causing disruptions from the chamber gallery. Subsequently, state police intervened and relocated the demonstrators outside the building.
Children’s hospitals across the country have faced harassment and received threats of violence for providing transgender care. In the past, Ken Paxton, the suspended Republican Texas Attorney General, who is scheduled for a Senate impeachment trial in September on corruption and misuse of office charges, initiated investigations into transgender care at an Austin hospital.
