Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Feb. 22 ordered a probe of medical procedures for transgender children.
In a letter to the state’s youth protection agency, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, Abbott said that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had determined that a number of gender reassignment procedures amount to “child abuse” under Texas law.
Gender reassignment surgeries can include orchiectomies, hysterectomies, vaginoplasty, phalloplasty, and mastectomies.
He added that Texas law imposes reporting requirements upon all licensed professionals who have direct contact with children who may be subject to such “abuse.”
“Texas law also imposes a duty on DFPS to investigate the parents of a child who is subjected to these abusive gender-transitioning procedures, and on other state agencies to investigate licensed facilities where such procedures may occur,” the governor added.
Abbott said: “There is no doubt that these procedures are ‘abuse’ under Texas law, and thus must be halted. [DFPS] has a responsibility to act accordingly. I’ll do everything I can to protect against those who take advantage of and harm young Texans.”
The White House condemned Abbott’s decision to launch an investigation into the procedures.
“Families should have the right to seek health care that will enable young people to live healthy and fulfilled lives,” the statement said. “Conservative officials in Texas and other states across the country should stop inserting themselves into health care decisions that create needless tension between pediatricians and their patients. And no parent should face the agony of a politician standing in the way of accessing life-saving care for their child.”
Gender dysphoria, according to the American Psychiatric Association, is a condition of distress created by an individual who identifies with the opposite biological sex.