Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has initiated a second investigation into a Texas hospital over gender-affirming procedures for transgender minors as the state Legislature moves within one step of banning gender-affirming medical care entirely.
Paxton issued a “request to examine” letter to Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston to evaluate whether the nonprofit hospital is “engaging in illegal behavior” by performing gender-affirming procedures or treatments on youth.
“Recent reports indicate that Texas Children’s Hospital may be unlawfully performing such procedures, and my office is working to uncover the truth,” Paxton said in a statement. “I am committed to investigating any entity in our state to ensure that our children are protected.”
Texas Children’s responded to the investigation announcement by saying the institution’s mission is to provide high-quality care to all of its patients.
“Throughout the policy debate surrounding gender medicine, our healthcare professionals have always and will continue to prioritize the care of our patients within the bounds of the law,” Texas Children’s said in a statement.
About two weeks ago, Paxton also opened an investigation into gender-affirming care practices at Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin. Transition-related care to patients has halted and doctors providing such care will be leaving the practice, the Texas Tribune reported on May 13.
Gender-affirming care includes a number of treatments for gender dysphoria, or the feeling of discomfort or distress that can occur in people who identify as a gender that is different from the gender or sex assigned at birth. Mental health care, surgical procedures and medical treatments, including the use of puberty blockers and hormone therapy, fall into the gender-affirming care category.
Surgery is not recommended to treat gender dysphoria until a patient has reached the legal age of maturity and lived continuously for at least a year in the gender role consistent with their gender identity, according to best practices set out by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, the group that authors the standards of care for gender-diverse people.
A bill banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth will go to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk after the Texas Senate approved changes made to the bill in the House on Wednesday evening.
If signed into law, the legislation would require the state to revoke the medical licenses of doctors who provide puberty blockers, hormone therapy or surgery to minors in order to “transition a child’s biological sex.” The legislation contradicts the recommendations of major U.S. medical organizations.
The ongoing fight over the future of gender-affirming care for adolescents is already disrupting medical centers across the state, even though the bill banning these treatments is not yet law.
Dr. Ximena Lopez, the Dallas provider who ran the state’s most prominent medical program for transgender youth, confirmed Thursday that she is leaving Texas out of concern for the safety of herself and her family.
“Fear-mongering politicians who know nothing about this field of medicine and don’t care, are taking my right to provide best medical practice for my patients,” Lopez said in a statement
Paxton’s “request to examine” letter asks Texas Children’s to produce documents relating to the use of puberty blockers, gender-affirming counseling, internal policies for the use of gender-affirming care and any communications with outside medical groups about such care.
The letter also requests the hospital provide any studies or opinions that “fail to support your current clinical counseling and treatment decisions” related to gender-affirming care.
