Physicians are “departing” Dell Children’s Medical Center shortly after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced an investigation into the clinic for potentially performing “gender transitioning” procedures on children.
A statement was released by the Austin clinic’s parent company, Ascension Seton, on Saturday.
“Dell Children’s Medical Group Adolescent Medicine clinic has not closed,” the statement said, per KXAN News. “We are working with our staff, families, and other providers to ensure our patients’ safety and make sure we are helping families connect with the appropriate healthcare services.”
“While the physicians who previously staffed the clinic will be departing, the clinic remains open and supported by other physicians within Dell Children’s Medical Group,” it continued.
This comes following a May 5 announcement by Paxton that his office is investigating the medical center “to uncover whether ‘gender transitioning’ procedures were unlawfully performed on minor children,” as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Paxton issued a Request to Examine (RTE) to the clinic in an attempt to determine whether it has violated state law or whether “any misrepresentations have been made to parents and patients.”
Paxton’s investigation follows an April exposé by Project Veritas in which a Dell Children’s Medical Center employee was apparently videotaped discussing the clinic’s practice of prescribing puberty blockers to minors as young as eight years old and “cross-gender hormones” to minors as young as 14 years old.
Jonathan Saenz, president of Texas Values, said to The Dallas Express following Paxton’s announcement, “If Dell Children’s Medical Center is performing harmful gender transition procedures on kids, the public needs to know immediately.”
“Attorney General Paxton was right to investigate such a disturbing report,” he said.
Alternatively, critics of Paxton allege that his investigation is little more than an attack on children who identify as transgender.
“There’s no disagreement among the major medical organizations that trans kids deserve AFFIRMING care, but Texas is trying to criminalize this care and intimidate the providers who offer it,” Zack Ford, senior communications manager for Alliance for Justice, tweeted in response to Paxton’s announcement.
“This is an abuse of office and weaponization of power.”
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and U.S. Representative Chip Roy, both Texas Republicans, also sent a letter to the clinic leaders on April 25 requesting answers to questions pertaining to Dell Children’s Medical Center’s alleged practice of prescribing gender transition procedures to minors.
