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Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott ordered state agencies Tuesday to investigate reports of gender-affirming care on minors, following an official opinion from state Attorney General Ken Paxton that called the treatment a form of “child abuse” under Texas law.
In a letter to the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS), Abbott cited Paxton’s opinion, writing, “A number of so-called ‘sex change’ procedures constitute child abuse under existing Texas law.” He added that because the DFPS is “responsible for protecting children from abuse, I hereby direct your agency to conduct a prompt and thorough investigation of any reported instances of these abusive procedures in the State of Texas.”
Abbott targeted a “wide variety of elective procedures” in his letter, including gender-affirming surgery and reversible puberty blockers.
“Texas law imposes reporting requirements upon all licensed professionals who have direct contact with children who may be subject to such abuse, including doctors, nurses, and teachers, and provides criminal penalties for failure to report such child abuse,” Abbott wrote.
Abbott’s letter came hours after Paxton’s opinion, equating gender-affirming surgery to “genital mutilation.”
A spokesperson for the DFPS told the Dallas Morning News that it will “follow Texas law as explained [by Paxton’s opinion],” adding that “there are no pending investigations of child abuse involving the procedures described in that opinion.”
The ACLU of Texas released a statement saying that “Paxton’s opinion is not legally binding, and it remains up to the courts to interpret Texas laws and the Constitution.”
“The opinion released by Paxton cites highly partisan, outdated, and inaccurate information that ignores the consensus of every major medical association and the evidence-based and peer-reviewed standards of care,” read the statement. “Trans youth continue to be threatened in Texas by state leadership as part of a politically motivated misinformation campaign that harms children.”
Many major medical organizations – including the American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association and American Academy of Pediatrics – support age-appropriate, individualized gender-affirming care for minors.
Nearly 14,000 Texans between the ages of 13 and 17 identify as Trans, according to the William’s Institute at UCLA.
