The Texas Supreme Court on Friday upheld a state order banning puberty suppressants, hormone therapy and other so-called gender-affirming treatments for children.
8-1 VerdictThe State Supreme Court of Texas Law The law, which came into force in September 2023, went against a woman’s right to decide whether or not to provide medical care for her child.
The Supreme Court ruled that lawmakers “made a permissible and reasonable policy choice.”
“We conclude that Congress made a permissibly reasonable policy choice to limit the types of medical procedures available to children, particularly given the relative infancy of gender dysphoria and its various treatments, and Congress’s clear constitutional power to regulate medical practice,” the ruling said.
“The law does not unconstitutionally abrogate parental rights, or the property rights or professional freedom rights of physicians or health care providers with respect to their medical licenses,” the Texas Supreme Court added in its decision.
In June 2023, Governor Greg Abbott (R-Texas) signed Senate Bill 14, banning various types of transgender “medical interventions” and surgeries, including hormone therapy and puberty blockers.
In late August 2023, the Texas Supreme Court lifted a preliminary injunction that had been issued after a Texas district judge ruled that the law not only violated the rights of transgender children, but also the rights of doctors and medical professionals in the state.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton praised the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the ban and vowed that his office would “take every step possible to ensure that doctors and healthcare organizations comply with the law.”
“Today, the Texas Supreme Court upheld SB14, a law that protects children from dangerous gender confusion surgery by banning puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and amputation surgery for minors,” Paxton said. I have written “We will always protect Texas children from these irreversible procedures, and my office will take every step to ensure doctors and healthcare providers comply with the law,” X wrote in the post.
Today, the Texas Supreme Court upheld SB 14, a law that protects children from dangerous gender confusion surgeries by banning puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and amputation surgery for minors. We will always protect Texas children from these irreversible surgeries. …
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) June 28, 2024
Texas has become the 21st state to ban the sex reassignment of children, with several other states enacting similar measures.
In January 2024, the Ohio Senate overrode the governor’s veto of a bill that would protect children from “gender-change drugs and surgery.” The bill also would ban boys from participating in girls’ sports.
Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon (Republican) signed a bill in March banning “sex reassignment” surgery on minors.
