Paxton announces second investigation into Texas hospital over youth transgender healthcare
AUSTIN, Texas - Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced a second investigation into a Texas hospital for potentially "unlawfully" giving gender-affirming care to transgender children.
This comes two weeks after the attorney general announced an investigation into Dell Children's Medical Center in Austin over similar allegations.
Paxton's second investigation will determine if Texas Children's Hospital in Houston is actively engaging in "illegal behavior" and performing "gender transitioning" procedures on children.
"I've been clear that any ‘gender transitioning’ procedures that hurt our children constitute child abuse under Texas law," Paxton said in a statement. "Recent reports indicate that Texas Children's Hospital may be unlawfully performing such procedures, and my office is working to uncover the truth. I am committed to investigating any entity in our state to ensure that our children are protected. Though many unhinged activists compromising the healthcare think otherwise, children are not to be treated as science experiments. Doctors and hospitals should not be pushing mutilative and irreversible ‘gender transitioning’ procedures that will negatively impact innocent children for the rest of their lives."
The complete Request to Examine can be found here.
The debate over youth transgender healthcare and transgender rights has been a focal point at the State Capitol this legislative session.
Senate Bill 14, which was sent to the governor's desk for his signature on Wednesday, prohibits transgender Texans under the age of 18 from accessing transition-related medical treatments including puberty blockers, hormone therapies and surgeries.
Senate Bill 15, which got final approval in the House on Thursday, prevents transgender women from competing in women's collegiate sports programs. The ACLU has issued a statement promising to file a lawsuit against the legislation.
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Many have loudly protested against the bill. On May 2, during debate on Senate Bill 14, dozens of activists were ushered from the Capitol by DPS officers.
One activist was arrested, though the charges were dropped. Paxton later denounced this decision.