The Texas Senate has passed a bill that would ban gender alteration surgeries for minors in the state, sending the proposal to the House.
The legislation was advanced along party lines, with all 12 Democratic senators voting against the bill.
Senate Bill 14, authored by Sen. Donna Campbell (R-New Braunfels), proposes to ban a variety of surgeries and drug treatments being performed or administered “For the purpose of transitioning a child’s biological sex … or affirming the child’s perception of the child’s sex if that perception is inconsistent with the child’s biological sex.”
The proposal would prevent any Texas taxpayer funds from being “used, granted, paid, or distributed to any health care provider, medical school, hospital, physician, or any other entity, organization, or individual that provides or facilitates the provision of a procedure or treatment to a child that is prohibited.”
SB 14 would also enable the attorney general to enforce the legislation and require the Texas Medical Board to permanently revoke the license of any medical professional who violates the bill.
The path to passage has included several twists and turns, with a “grandfather” clause being added to the bill before its subsequent removal.
On March 29, the Senate voted unanimously to amend the bill, allowing for “the provision by a physician or health care provider of a nonsurgical gender transitioning or gender reassignment procedure or course of treatment that began 90 days before the effective date of this Act.”
The legislation was passed to engrossment as amended on the same day.
However, state conservative leaders to call for the removal of the amendment, with Texas GOP Chairman Matt Rinaldi writing, “This amendment allows the chemical castration and surgical mutilation of any child to continue, as long [as] the abuse begins by June 1.”
“These procedures are monstrous and serve no medical purpose,” he continued. “With this amendment, Texas is abandoning every child currently being abused.”
Rep. Tom Oliverson (R-Cyprus), who is carrying the companion bill in the House, took to Twitter to defend the amendment, explaining, “[I]t has come to my attention that concerns have been raised that she weakened the bill by amendment. This I must address head-on, because it is factually inaccurate and misleading.”
“As two physician lawmakers, Senator Campbell and I have always endeavored to follow the science on this complex issue,” he said. “This has sometimes proved challenging due to the lack of high-quality studies in this area, especially ones confirming the benefits of these treatments in children.”
“We could find no studies providing guidance on the effects of rapidly withdrawing these medications from a patient,” Oliverson said. “Thus we felt as though this was wading into uncharted territory. … [W]e felt the correct course of action was to allow treatment to continue in these limited cases, with the understanding that it could not progress to additional escalating treatments.”
The pushback to the amendment led Sen. Campbell to call for the Senate to reconsider the bill. The amendment permitting the continuation of gender alteration treatments was removed by a party-line vote before being passed again on April 4.
GOP Chair Rinaldi was quick to applaud the Senate for the decision and note that the process was a collaborative effort.
“Let me be clear,” he wrote on Twitter, “@DanPatrick and the Texas Senate didn’t ‘bow to pressure’ from anyone. They led this effort by bringing together the @TexasGOP, child advocacy groups, and grassroots Republicans to craft the strongest bill possible to protect children.”
Sen. Campbell said in a statement, “I am very pleased SB 14 has been finally passed by the Texas Senate. This priority legislation will protect Texas children from harmful, medically unnecessary gender modification treatments and I am grateful to my Senate colleagues for their support.”
“I look forward to continuing to work with Rep. Tom Oliverson, a fellow physician and author of the House companion bill, as well as all the relevant stakeholders as this legislation works its way through the House so we can get a bill to Governor Abbott’s desk as quickly as possible,” she concluded.
Sen. José Menéndez (D-San Antonio) registered his opposition to the bill on the Senate floor, saying, “To the children who are watching, to the people in this building, I want you to know: I see you.”
“Please know you have a lot of life to live,” he continued, addressing transgender youth. “there are many people who love you, and you have much growth ahead of you.”
Child sex alteration surgeries have received the support of several national healthcare groups, including the American Association of Pediatricians, which recommended “surgical interventions.” The American Medical Association likewise urged the provision of what it called “medically necessary gender-affirming care.”
While applauding the passage of SB 14, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick emphasized that the Senate, under his direction, had previously passed similar legislation in prior sessions but that the House had refused to advance the proposals.
“As Lt. Governor, I believe the practice of child gender modification is abhorrent and must be stopped in Texas,” Patrick explained in a press statement provided to The Dallas Express.
“The Senate and I have been committed to banning the practice of child gender modification and, last session, the Senate passed two bills, SB 1646, by Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, and SB 1311, by Sen. Bob Hall, R-Edgewood, but neither bill received a hearing in the House and they both died,” he explained. “That is why SB 14 is one of my top priorities this session.”
The House has consistently been a hurdle for more conservative legislation passed by the Senate, leading to some tension between Patrick and Speaker Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont).
Phelan’s support for appointing Democrat chairs to committees in the House and perceived lack of interest in Republican priorities prompted the Republican Party of Texas to run radio ads against the representative in his own district earlier this year.
Banning sex alteration surgery for minors was not on Phelan’s list of legislative priorities for the House this session.
This is evil and delusional to think kids can make this kind of decisions at such an innocent age. Using children as political pawns. Let our kids alone commies.