Texas Children’s Hospital has paused hormone-related prescription therapies for gender-affirming services a week after Texas Attorney Gen. Ken Paxton said in an opinion calling gender-affirming procedures and treatments as child abuse.
The hospital wrote in the statement, “This step was taken to safeguard our healthcare professionals and impacted families from potential criminal legal ramifications.”
Gov. Greg Abbott then directed the Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate reported instances of those procedures as child abuse.
“Transgender kids, to anyone who’s seen a trans kid and interacted with them and loved them both before and after, will tell you that these are clearly not abusive treatments,” said Dr. Jessica Zwiener, who provides care to transgender patients in private practice. “These are treatments that help mental health.”
Zwiener is not affiliated with Texas Children’s.
“These are medications that their doctors, and parents and therapists have all agreed that are in the best interest of the child and it’s hard that one of the biggest providers of that care in Houston is not going to be able to do that,” Zwiener said.
The attorney general shared his opinion on Twitter on Friday, writing he was glad to hear the hospital made the move.
The statement from the hospital did not provide more details on the specific therapies impacted or how many patients might be affected by the decision.
Full statement from Texas Children’s Hospital:
The mission of Texas Children’s Hospital is to create a healthier future for all children, including transgender children, within the bounds of the law. After assessing the Attorney General’s and Governor’s actions, Texas Children’s Hospital paused hormone-related prescription therapies for gender-affirming services. This step was taken to safeguard our healthcare professionals and impacted families from potential criminal legal ramifications.