The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services has begun investigating the parents of transgender children after the state’s Republican governor and attorney general said that medically approved treatments like puberty-suppressing drugs are tantamount to child abuse.
A lawsuit filed Tuesday in a Texas court sought to block one of the investigations, which, ironically, centers on the child of a Department of Family and Protective Services employee.
The employee, who was not named in the lawsuit, was put on administrative leave as her colleagues sought her child’s medical records.
The New York Times reports:
The family of the child, identified in court documents only as Mary Doe, has refused to voluntarily turn over the records.
“We are terrified for Mary’s health and well-being, and for our family,” wrote the employee in a declaration filed with the suit, in which she and her husband are identified as Jane and John Doe. “I feel betrayed by my state and the agency for whom I work.”
She added: “Not providing Mary with the medically necessary health care that she needs is not an option for us.”
According to the lawsuit, the state’s investigator told the parents that the only allegation against them was that their transgender daughter might have been provided with gender-affirming health care and was “currently transitioning from male to female.”
The Times adds:
Dr. Megan Mooney, a licensed psychologist in Houston, is also a plaintiff in the lawsuit. Dr. Mooney, who is required to report suspected child abuse under Texas law, has a practice that includes transgender patients, many of whom have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria, according to the suit.
Last month, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued an opinion that claims parents who allow their children to receive gender-affirming care like puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgery are committing child abuse as defined by state law. Governor Greg Abbott cited Paxton’s opinion, which is non-binding, in a letter directing state agencies to investigate such parents.
NBC News notes:
In [the February 22nd] letter, Abbott tasked licensed professionals who work with children — including teachers, nurses and doctors — and “members of the general public” with reporting such claims. He added that state law “provides criminal penalties for failure to report such child abuse.”
Advocates allege that both Paxton’s opinion and Abbott’s letter are politically motivated, noting that they were released just ahead of the March 1 Republican primary and that both men face a crowded field of contenders in their re-election bids.
“No family should have to fear being torn apart because they are supporting their trans child,” Adri Pérez, the policy strategist at the A.C.L.U. of Texas, said in a statement on Tuesday after his organization filed the lawsuit on behalf of the parents being investigated. “A week before an election, Gov. Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a partisan political attack that isn’t rooted in the needs of families.”
Axios provides key context:
Medical experts and doctors fear an increase in mental health crises among transgender kids due to the dozens of bills introduced in 2021 to criminalize gender-affirming health care.
Studies have shown that doctors who give children the ability to socially transition, access puberty blockers and gender-affirming hormones encounter lower rates of suicide and mental illness.
