Texas has just become the largest state to ban so-called gender transition treatments and procedures for minors, the New York Times reports.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) made this happen by signing S.B. 14 into law on Friday.
The law is now set to go into effect on Sept. 1, 2023.
The Washington Examiner reports some of the details of S.B. 14.
The outlet reports:
[S.B. 14] forbids healthcare providers in the state from performing surgeries related to gender transition to children. Likewise, healthcare providers are also not allowed to prescribe hormones or puberty blockers to children under the law.
Any healthcare provider who violates this law, according to the outlet, could have their medical license revoked.
The Examiner goes on to note that there are some exceptions to the law.
Per the outlet:
Several exceptions are given in the law to children already undergoing gender transition, such as those currently receiving hormones or puberty blockers and children who have attended 12 or more sessions of mental health counseling over a period of at least six months before they began treatment. However, the law requires that these children are slowly taken off them “in a manner that is safe and medically appropriate.”
Back in April 2021, Arkansas became the first state to ban gender transition treatments for minors.
Since then, numerous other Republican-led states have followed suit.
The count is now up to 17 states - that is, 17 states that have laws that are similar to Texas's S.B. 14 - that ban gender transition procedures and treatments for minors.
Many of these laws have been legally challenged, and it appears that the Texas law will be as well by the American Civil Liberties Union.
In mid-May, the group put out a statement, saying, "We will be filing a lawsuit to protect transgender youth in Texas from being stripped of access to health care that keeps them healthy and alive."
The statement continues:
[Texas lawmakers] are hellbent on joining the growing roster of states determined to jeopardize the health and lives of transgender youth, in direct opposition to the overwhelming body of scientific and medical evidence supporting this care as appropriate and necessary. Transgender youth in Texas deserve the support and care necessary to give them the same chance to thrive as their peers. Medically necessary health care is a critical part of helping transgender adolescents succeed in school, establish healthy relationships with their friends and family, and live authentically as themselves.
