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Texas Hospital Stops Transgender Hormone Usage Following Governor Abbott’s Order

Houston Hospital
Texas Children's Hospital | Image by University of College

The Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston has announced it will stop transgender hormone usage and care to comply with Governor Greg Abbott’s order.

The order, issued last month after a legal opinion from Attorney General Ken Paxton labeled some of the treatments as child abuse, directed the state’s child welfare agency to investigate reports of child abuse related to such treatments.

The Houston Hospital released a statement on March 4 announcing its decision.

“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,” the statement said. “This step was taken to safeguard our health care professionals and impacted families from potential criminal legal ramifications.”

The Texas Children’s Hospital is the largest pediatric hospital in the country, according to NBC 5 News.

After the statement from the hospital was released, Paxton shared his reaction on Twitter.

“Glad to hear that today Texas Children’s Hospital halted their child-abuse procedures,” Paxton said.

Medical and civil rights groups across the country have criticized Abbott and Paxton, calling the order “cruel.”

According to NBC, Abbott’s order goes against the biggest medical groups in the country, including the American Medical Association, who have opposed measures restricting “transgender care and treatment” across the nation.

Last week, District Judge Amy Clark Meachum stopped the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) from investigating the parents of a 16-year-old transgender girl. Lambda Legal and the American Civil Liberties Union have sued the state on the teenager’s behalf.

Paul Castillo, senior counsel for Lambda Legal, released a statement after the district judge’s ruling.

Castillo said, “We are relieved that – at least for now – the threat of a child abuse investigation is no longer hanging over the heads of the family members in this case.”

In the lawsuit, the parents have reportedly been listed as John and Jane Doe, and their child as Mary Doe. They were one of the first families to be investigated by DFPS following Abbott’s order. Jane Doe, who works for the department, was put on leave.

Meachum’s decision will halt the investigation temporarily.

Meachum wrote, “The Court finds Jane Doe has been placed on administrative leave at work and is at risk of losing her job and that Jane, John and Mary Doe face the imminent and ongoing deprivation of their constitutional rights, the potential loss of necessary medical care, and the stigma attached to being the subject of an unfounded child abuse investigation.”

Paxton’s office has appealed her ruling.

Meachum also had a hearing scheduled for March 11 in regards to a broader ban on Abbott’s order, but it has been temporarily stalled by Paxton’s appeal.

Clinical psychologist Megan Mooney is also a plaintiff in the lawsuit, along with the Doe family. Mooney is a mandatory child abuse reporter in Texas and faces losing her license if she does not report transgender children.

On March 2, President Joe Biden announced his administration would be taking steps in Texas to protect transgender children and their families.

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