Texas Children’s Hospital halts gender-affirming therapies

Texas Children’s Hospital has stopped prescribing gender-affirming hormone therapies — a move that could affect thousands of transgender children in Texas — in response to a controversial directive from state leaders to investigate medical treatments for transgender youth as child abuse.

The nation’s largest pediatric hospital’s decision deals a blow to parents of transgender children who were seeking access to medicine that slows the onset of puberty or hormone treatments that help older children develop into bodies that match their identities.

“The mission of Texas Children’s Hospital is to create a healthier future for all children, including transgender children, within the bounds of the law,” the hospital said in a statement. “After assessing the Attorney General’s and Governor’s actions, Texas

Children’s Hospital paused hormone-related prescription therapies for gender-affirming services. This step was taken to safeguard our healthcare professionals and impacted families from potential criminal legal ramifications.”

Armed with a nonbinding opinion by Attorney General Ken Paxton, Gov. Greg Abbott last month ordered the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate parents who seek gender-affirming care as child abusers. Last week, a Travis County district judge stopped the state agency from investigating the parents of a 16-year-old who underwent gender-affirming care.

But the court stopped short of blocking such investigations statewide — at least for now.

Paxton’s opinion followed multiple failed attempts by Republican state lawmakers in the GOPled Texas Legislature to pass measures that would punish parents

Josie Norris / Staff photographer Case Crawford, 15, holds a sign next to their mother, Heather Crawford, as they attend the March for Trans Youth held Tuesday at the Capitol in Austin.