Texas Bans Transgender Medical Care for Kids: the Largest State To Do So?

Texas has banned transgender medical care for kids.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed the bill after the GOP-led Legislature passed the bill last month.

Texas Bans Transgender Medical Care for Kids

Texas Transgender — AUSTIN, TEXAS - MARCH 27: Children watch as demonstrators protest bills HB 1686 and SB 14 during a 'Fight For Our Lives' rally at the Texas State Capitol on March 27, 2023 in Austin, Texas. Community members and activists gathered at the Capitol to protest the bills, which seek to limit healthcare to transgender youth. Brandon Bell/Getty Images

According to the Associated Press News, the Texas Gov. signed a bill that bans transgender medical care for kids, the latest state to do so.

The bill, which takes effect immediately, prohibits doctors from providing gender-affirming medical care to transgender children who are under the age of 18. The prohibition covers puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and gender-reassignment surgery.

The bill has been met with widespread criticism from medical experts, who say it will harm transgender children and put them at risk. As per Time Magazine, all major medical groups, such as the American Medical Association, are against the ban on medical care for trans youth. The organization argues, "Decisions about medical care belong within the sanctity of the patient-physician relationship." Instead, they supported gender-affirming care as long as they are properly orchestrated.

Besides the opposition of medical organizations, the bans in several states have faced numerous lawsuits challenging the signed measure targeting gender-affirming care.

Texas Gov. Abbott kicked off an investigation that looks into families receiving gender-affirming care across the state. However, much to his disappointment, a Texas judge ordered the suspension of investigations.

Largest State to Pass Gender-affirming Ban?

Texas Trans — AUSTIN, TEXAS - MARCH 08: Abortion rights demonstrators and transgender rights activists gather during an International Women's Day abortion rights demonstration at the Texas State Capitol on March 08, 2023 in Austin, Texas. Abortion rights activists gathered during an International Women's Day, advocating for access to legal abortion across all 50 states. Brandon Bell/Getty Images

The Republican Legislature has approved Senate Bill 14, which prohibits surgeries that remove healthy body parts or tissues among minors. The measure also bans mastectomies for children, which supposedly enables them to undergo surgery that removes their breasts.

Supporters of the bill tout the banning as a measure to protect the lives of young minds, preventing them from diving into irreversible decisions.

Forbes notes in its report that Texas, the largest state to do so, has joined other US states in implementing a similar anti-trans measure.

The Texas bill is particularly concerning because it bans transgender medical care for kids in a state with a large population of transgender people. The state is notably the second largest in the country in terms of population and land area.

Before Abbott signed the gender-affirming ban on minors, Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen signed a similar measure on May 22. It prevents doctors from performing such procedures for trans under the age of 19, including prescription puberty blockers and hormone therapy.

In the middle of last month, or on May 17, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who recently launched his presidential campaign for the 2024 US elections, also signed a similar bill. The state-wide measure prohibits medical practitioners from performing gender-affirming care for the underage. Other states, such as Oklahoma, Montana, Iowa, and Utah, have banned transgender medical care for kids.