Texas Governor signs law banning transgender care for minors

Why it matters: Texas has one of the largest transgender populations in the country.

According to estimates from the Williams Institutea research center that reports on the demographics of LGBTQ people, nearly 30,000 transgender people ages 13 to 17 live in Texas, making it one of the states with the largest populations of transgender youth.

The measure signed by Mr Abbott, known as Senate Bill 14, passed protests by transgender Texans and their supporters at the Capitol before it was passed by parliament last month. Opponents denounced the measure as a politicized attack on transgender people. Supporters of the law in Texas have called the treatments “mutilation.”

There is a debate among medical professionals about the age at which adolescents should have access to these treatments. But leading medical groups in the United States, including the American Academy of Pediatricssay that this care should be available to minors and oppose legal prohibitions.

Background: The ban continues a wave of conservative legislation restricting transgender rights.

The law reflects an effort in Texas and much of the country by Republican elected leaders to curtail transgender rights. The case has become a stirring issue for social conservatives looking to rally voters and raise money.

Since April 2021, when Arkansas became the first state to ban menopause-related medical treatment for minors, more than a dozen other states have passed bills or policies to ban what doctors call gender-affirming care.

Republican officials in some states have also attempted to limit health care for trans adults, in some cases blocking care for younger adults or placing limits on Medicaid coverage.

In Texas, officials had taken other steps to prevent transgender children from accessing transitional medical care. Last year Mr. Abbott instructed the state child protection agency to investigate parents for child abuse if their children received such treatment. Some Texan families fled the state as a result, even while investigations were ongoing challenged in court.

What’s Next: Some uncertainties remain.

Under the bill, minors already receiving prescribed medical treatment would be able to come off the medication “for a specified period of time and in a manner that is safe and medically appropriate.”

But it wasn’t clear whether doctors would feel comfortable continuing to provide that care.

The bill gave enforcement powers to the state’s attorney general. When the state legislature passed the bill last month, that position was held by Ken Paxton. But the following week, the state’s House of Representatives voted to impeach him. Mr. Abbott appointed John Scott, a longtime ally and former Texas secretary of state, as an interim replacement while Mr. Paxton awaited impeachment in the Senate.

The law is likely to face legal challenges in the three months before it goes into effect.