Happy Nice Mall

HOUSTON — Texas authorities begin investigating parents of transgender adolescents for possible child abuse, according to a case On Tuesday, Gov. Filed after Greg Abbott led them to engage in certain medical treatments last week as possible crimes.

Investigations, which were not previously reported by the Department of Family and Protection Services of the State, were initiated upon a notice. Order from Mr. Abbott says the agency is suing. The ruling followed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s non-binding view that parents who provided transgender youth with puberty-suppressing drugs or other medically recognized treatments that doctors defined as gender-affirming care could be prosecuted for child abuse.

Among those first investigated was an employee of the state protective services agency, who was a 16-year-old transgender child. On Tuesday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas and Lambda Legal went to state court in Austin to stop the investigation.

The employee, whose name has not been released in the court filing, is working to review reports of abuse and neglect. He went on administrative leave last week, according to the file, and was visited on Friday by an inspector from the institution, who also sought medical records for his child. The boy’s family, named Mary Doe in court documents, refused to voluntarily surrender the records.

“We are terribly afraid for Mary’s health, well-being and for our family,” the employee wrote in the lawsuit petition, in which she and her husband are identified as Jane and John Doe. “I feel betrayed by my state and the organization I work for.”

“Not providing Mary with medically necessary health care is not an option for us,” he added.

According to the lawsuit, the state inspector told parents that the only claim against them was that trans girls may have been given gender-confirming health care and that “it is now passed from male to female.”

Neither a spokesperson for the state protection agency nor the governor’s office responded to requests for comment.

It was unclear whether Mr. Abbott’s order would survive the forensic examination. The order does not change Texas law, and several county attorneys and district attorneys have said they will not prosecute families for child abuse under the new definition. Nevertheless, Mr. Abbott’s directive has had a chilling effect, and the consequences of redefinition are significant.

As Mr Abbott noted in his letter, the order means that “all licensed professionals who have direct contact with children” must report anyone they believe is receiving gender-confirming treatment to government authorities or face criminal penalties.

In court Tuesday, the ACLU of Texas and Lambda Legal, a civil rights organization focused on the LGBTQ community, sought to block the medical record request in the employee’s case and more broadly challenged the legitimacy and legitimacy of the investigation. the governor’s power to change the definition of child abuse. According to the file, other investigations have also begun.

The groups argue in the lawsuit that the governor-issued directive was improperly issued under state law, violates the Texas Constitution, and violates the constitutional rights of transgender youth and their parents.

“No family should be afraid of falling apart because they support trans children,” Adri Pérez, policy strategist at ACLU Texas, said in a statement. “A week before the election, Governor Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a partisan political attack that was not based on the needs of families.”

A licensed psychologist in Houston, Dr. Megan Mooney is also the plaintiff in the case. Required by Texas law to report suspected child abuse, Dr. Mooney has a practice that includes transgender patients, many of whom are diagnosed with gender dysphoria, according to the lawsuit.

The order and news of gender-affirming medical care investigations have had a chilling effect on families with trans children or youth, many of whom no longer want to register or publicly identify as trans.

A parent of a transgender teenager in Houston said Legacy Community Health, the family’s health clinic, is suspending all refills and new prescriptions for transgender minors in light of Mr Abbott’s order. He has only a week’s supply left of his son’s prescription for testosterone, leaving the family scrambling to find other options. “We definitely feel betrayed,” said the mother, who asked to remain anonymous to protect her child’s safety.

Legacy Community Health did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Another family said they were frustrated, angry and nervous about Mr Abbott’s order. 13-year-old Willow Egerton proudly reveals her identity as a trans girl.

“It’s super scary to see all these people turn against you and want you to leave,” Willow said, adding that parents who support trans children are “not child abuse.”

Owen Egerton, 49, said his confidence in who his daughter is outweighed his fear of facing any legal consequences. On Tuesday, her daughter walked to the State Capitol in Austin, where the family lives, wearing a light blue, pink, and white trans flag cape and wearing knee-high neon socks with the trans flag on them.

“The hiding alternative sounds like the worst solution,” he said. “Although it is frustrating and scary, the last thing we want to do is be silenced.”

Mr Egerton declined to discuss the nature of Willow’s care due to privacy concerns, but said the family was not planning any changes “due to a two-page letter written by the governor.” He said his family may consider leaving the state in the future, but they are determined to oppose this order wherever they live.

The moves by Mr. Abbott and Mr. Paxton, both two-term Republican incumbents, came days before a primary election in which each faced substantial and loud challenges from far-right opponents. Paxton, who has been accused of securities fraud charges and corruption by his former top aides, is seen as particularly vulnerable. Entering Tuesday’s primary election, it looked unlikely to receive more than 50 percent of the vote, and would likely end in the May runoff.

Over the past year, state government in Texas has shifted sharply to the right, especially on social issues. Abortion has been severely restricted in the state since a new law came into force last September, effectively banning the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy and empowering ordinary citizens to enforce its provisions.

If they provide transgender children with certain medical treatments, forcing parents to investigate for child abuse similarly relies on ordinary Texans to report suspected violations. When it comes to teachers, doctors, and others who have to report what they believe is child abuse, it requires it.

Paul Castillo, Lambda Legal’s senior advisor, said in a statement that Mr. Abbott and Mr. Paxton “seem to have participated in a politically motivated campaign of misinformation without regard to medical science and appear determined to criminalize parents who want to look after and care for their children.” “Gender-affirming care for the treatment of gender dysphoria is medically necessary care, period.”

However, these moves by the authorities have been praised by some groups who oppose such treatment. “It is illegal for minors to buy paint, cigarettes, alcohol and even get tattoos,” said Jonathan Covey, policy director for the Texas Values ​​group, in a statement last week. “We can’t allow minors or their parents to make life-changing decisions about body wounding procedures and irreversible hormonal treatments.”

Efforts to discontinue treatment for transgender youth have been harshly criticized by professional medical groups and trans health professionals, who say such decisions, especially those at medical risk, need to be weighed by a patient, their parents, and their doctor. Studies have found that Transgender youth at higher risk of suicide.

has been There is some debate among doctors about the details of treatment for teenagers. Increasing numbers of teens have sought to better align their bodies with their gender identity through hormones and surgeries.

At the same time, more than 20 states, including Texas, passed laws banning gender-affirming treatment of youth, but such bills did not pass in the last legislature. In Texas, one of the bills would redefine child abuse to include gender-affirming treatment for transgender children.

After those bills failed, Mr. Abbott ran the state’s protective services agency last summer. to determine whether surgeries for transgender youth constitute child abuse. The agency also removed information about gender identity and suicide prevention hotline from website Don Huffines, one of Mr. Abbott’s main Republican opponents, after he attacked the governor for “promoting transgender sexual policies to Texas youth.”

Later, late last month, Mr. Paxton made his point, and Mr. Abbott responded with his directive. According to Tuesday’s filing, the agency began its investigations almost immediately afterwards.

Azeen Ghorayshi contributing reporting.