The Texas Legislature has approved Senate Bill 14, a measure that bans medical treatments for transgender children, including hormone and puberty-blocking treatments, surgeries, and medical supports. If signed into law, Texas will become the largest state to prohibit transition medical care for minors. Despite strong opposition from Democrats and widespread protests at the Capitol, the bill passed with a limited exemption for transgender children who were already undergoing medical treatment prior to its passage.
However, these individuals will be required to gradually discontinue their medications over an unspecified period. Under this legislation, doctors would be prohibited from performing mastectomies or surgeries that result in sterilization or the removal of healthy tissue or body parts. They would also be prohibited from prescribing drugs and medical consultations that induce temporary or permanent infertility. The bill has been the subject of intense debate and protests, with Texas law enforcement even arresting two individuals during discussions in the State House.
The State House also advanced another bill that would require athletes in high school and colleges to compete based on the sex listed on their birth certificate. Texas officials have been taking measures to restrict transgender children’s access to medical transition care, with Governor Greg Abbott instructing the state’s child protective agency to investigate parents for child abuse if their children underwent such treatments. As a result, many Texas families chose to leave the state. The controversial bill now awaits the governor’s signature to be enforceable as the law, in a series of proposals introduced by the Republican-dominated Legislature targeting transgender individuals.