Texas judge suspends governor’s order to investigate transgender procedures

By Dan Whitcomb

(Reuters) – A Texas choose on Friday blocked, at the least for now, Governor Greg Abbott’s directive that little one protecting companies examine medical suppliers or dad and mom over gender transition remedies for minors.

Travis County District Decide Jan Soifer issued a short lived restraining order on the request of the homosexual rights group PFLAG, which sued Abbott and the state over his February mandate to the Texas Division of Household Protecting Companies.

“That households will probably be protected against invasive, pointless, and unnerving investigations by DFPS merely for serving to their transgender youngsters thrive and be themselves is an excellent factor,” Brian Bond, PFLAG govt director, mentioned in a press release.

Abbott didn’t instantly situation a press release in response to an inquiry by Reuters. The Division of Household and Protecting Companies, which is called as a defendant together with Commissioner Jaime Masters, has mentioned it can’t talk about particular investigations or touch upon litigation.

The governor’s order marked the newest salvo in an ongoing political battle over transgender points, together with medical remedies on youngsters, participation in women’ sports activities and entry to girls’s non-public areas.

Abbott known as for investigations of well being professionals who permit youngsters to be administered hormones to halt puberty or change their our bodies or to bear intercourse reassignment surgical procedures. He informed DFPS to research dad and mom of any little one who obtained such remedies.

PFLAG argued within the lawsuit, which was supported by the ACLU and Lambda Authorized, that transgender youngsters want entry to gender-transition hormones and procedures to guard their psychological well being till maturity.

Opponents of such remedies say youngsters and youngsters are too younger to make such life-altering selections and the long-term results of puberty-blockers and hormones are usually not but totally understood.

The Texas Supreme Court docket present in a earlier ruling that the governor couldn’t order the investigations however restricted the safety to the particular plaintiffs. The broader case remains to be pending.

(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Modifying by David Gregorio)