The Texas Office of Child Protective Services says it has initiated at least nine investigations into parents who seek gender-affirming treatment for their children following the passing of a statute that bars anybody from offering such services.
In February, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a directive following which investigations were launched. Paxton stated that certain gender affirmation procedures “when performed on children, can legally constitute child abuse under several provisions of…the Texas Family Code.”
Additionally, Paxton warned that the treatment could cause “mental or emotional injury to a kid that results in an observable and tangible impairment in the child’s growth, development, or psychological functioning.”
To answer a question from the Texas House of Representatives about whether or not certain “medical and chemical operations on children” could be considered child abuse, the Attorney General of Texas drafted the directive. The Texas legislature failed to adopt a bill criminalizing these types of treatments, prompting the House’s investigation.
The district attorneys have promised not to prosecute anyone in these circumstances, but D.C. has already announced that it will obey Paxton’s request, meaning that these treatments can be investigated nonetheless.
Despite the fact that five of Texas’ largest county district attorneys released a letter opposing Paxton’s mandate, investigations were launched. There was no “irrational or unjustified interference with medical decisions made between children, their parents, and their medical physicians,” the association stated in a statement.
It went on like this: “Governor Abbott and Attorney General Paxton’s heartless commands to characterize transgender children’s access to life-saving, gender-affirming care as “child abuse” are very upsetting to us. This is just the latest in a long line of attacks on personal liberties.”
The details of the nine probes haven’t been revealed yet, but there have already been complaints against the decision.
A restraining order blocking DFPS investigations into transgender youth was sought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which filed a lawsuit against Texas in the first week of this month.
“Texas has trampled on transgender children, their parents, and professionals who provide crucial care to the transgender youngsters,” the ACLU claimed in its lawsuit.
By “creating a new concept of ‘child abuse’ that singles out the most loving parents for scrutiny, inquiry, and possible family separation,” the ACLU claimed, “the Defendants have acted without Constitutional or statutory authority.”
Despite federal regulations released by the Biden administration that it is illegal to discriminate against transgender children, Texas officials are attempting to restrict transgender therapies.
Biden administration guidelines are being litigated against by Paxton. Texas might lose more than $1 billion in federal health care money if the state loses the lawsuit, according to sources.