Texas Governor Greg Abbott bans gender-affirming care for minors
The ban is set to come into effect on 1 September.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has signed a sweeping bill that bans gender-affirming care for minors in the Southern state.
The awful new bill, Senate Bill 14, was then signed by the governor, 65, on Friday (2 June).
The bill makes Texas the 18th state to enact this sort of ban. Under the bill, trans people under 18 will not have access to puberty blockers or hormone therapy treatments.
Medical providers are also banned from performing gender-affirming surgery. This is despite the procedures rarely being done on patients under the age of 18.
If medical providers violate the ban, their medical license could be revoked.
If an individual began gender-affirming care before 1 June 2023 and has had 12 or more sessions of mental health counselling or psychotherapy for at least six months, they can continue their treatment.
“They are hellbent on joining the growing roster of states determined to jeopardize the health and lives of transgender youth.”
However, exempted patients will be forced to “wean off the prescription drug over a period of time.”
Texas’s ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth is set to go into effect on 1 September.
American Civil Liberties Union of Texas and also the Transgender Law Center announced they would be suing the state.
In a joint statement, they shared: “They are hellbent on joining the growing roster of states determined to jeopardize the health and lives of transgender youth, in direct opposition to the overwhelming body of scientific and medical evidence supporting this care as appropriate and necessary,” they said.
They then added transgender youth in Texas deserve the support and care which they are now being denied.
“Medically necessary health care is a critical part of helping transgender adolescents succeed in school, establish healthy relationships with their friends and family, and live authentically as themselves.”