LGBTQ+ activists protest against Senate Bill 14 at the Texas Capitol, Friday, May 12, 2023, in Austin, Texas.
Mikala Compton/AP
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Mikala Compton/AP
LGBTQ+ activists protest against Senate Bill 14 at the Texas Capitol, Friday, May 12, 2023, in Austin, Texas.
Mikala Compton/AP
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas will become the largest state to ban gender-affirming treatment for minors under a bill sent Wednesday night to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who previously ordered welfare officials to -children to investigate treatment such as abuse.
The bill passed the GOP-controlled Legislature after a final vote in the Senate over the objections of Democrats, who used parliamentary maneuvers in recent weeks to delay passage but were unable to derail it entirely.
Texas is now poised to join at least 17 other states that have enacted similar bans.
Abbott’s office did not return an email seeking comment Wednesday evening. Last year, Abbott became the first governor to order an investigation into families receiving care. The investigations were later halted by a Texas judge.
Every major medical organization, including the American Medical Association, opposed the bans and supported medical care for minors when properly administered.
Texas is among a number of states where Republican lawmakers have given priority status this year to measures that limit the rights of transgender people. Earlier Wednesday, the Texas House also gave preliminary approval to a bill that would place restrictions on transgender college athletes.
Transgender rights activists stormed the Texas House with protests from the chamber’s gallery, prompting state police to force the protesters to walk outside the building.
Earlier this month, treatment at a Texas hospital for transgender minors was investigated by state Attorney General Ken Paxton, who said he was looking for evidence of alleged “potentially illegal activity” without elaborating.
