Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed legislation banning the treatment of transgender minors. This makes his state the largest state in the US to restrict young people’s access to this treatment.
Mr. Abbott followed in the footsteps of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a fellow Republican who signed a similar bill into law in May, reports RTE.
Texas and Florida are the second and third largest states in the United States.
Texas law prohibits medical professionals from prescribing hormone blockers or performing sex reassignment surgery on anyone under the age of 18. It comes into force on September 1st.
The legislation provides an exception for minors who are already on puberty blockers or hormone therapy, but requires that they “shall wean off the prescription drug over a period of time and in a manner that is safe and medically appropriate”, reports RTE.
Transgender rights have increasingly become a hot topic in US politics, with Democrats arguing that measures like the Texas and Florida laws violate fundamental rights.
Yesterday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas said it would file a lawsuit challenging the state’s ban.
“Abbott can’t stop trans youth from thriving in Texas — and we’ll take him to court to make sure of it,” the rights organisation said in a tweet, reports RTE.
“Texas Senate Bill 14 bans the only evidence-based care for gender dysphoria for transgender people under 18 and aims to strip doctors of their medical licenses for providing their patients with the care they know to be medically necessary,” the groups said in a statement, reports RTE.
In March, President Joe Biden said that such “attacks” on transgender rights were “un-American and must end”, reports RTE.
“LGBTQ young people are not inherently prone to suicide risk because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, but rather placed at higher risk because of how they are mistreated and stigmatized in society,” the survey said, reports RTE.
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