Yet again, lifesaving healthcare rights are at risk in Texas, this time for transgender youth in the state. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has announced plans for prohibiting extremely necessary medical treatment for transgender teens.

 In his opinion, any care provided by medical professionals such as hormones, puberty suppressants or any gender-affirming care is an act of child abuse. 

So, for a second, let’s overlook the sheer danger and incompetence of this opinion or if Texas will ever get their act together, and look at what Abbott is actually trying to accomplish. 

Abbott has ordered the state’s Department of Family and Protective Services to conduct investigations into any families who have provided gender-affirming care to trans minors. The first investigation has already been opened on a family in Texas of a trans teen. 

Although Abbott has ordered these investigations to take place, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that they would work to protect the rights of trans youth, therefore not standing with Abbott.

To make matters worse these claims are not coming solely from Abbott, but are even supported by others such as Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton. Paxton even stated that “gender reassignment surgery is forced sterilization”. 

These claims and opinions by Texas officials are not only completely inaccurate but also extremely dangerous to youth across America, and have even been condemned by President Joe Biden. Under no circumstances would gender-affirming care provided by a healthcare professional be an act of child abuse. 

Gender affirming care is only provided to minors after a long process of conversations with parents and trained healthcare professionals. This care would never be provided to a minor against their will. 

Most teens can only hope that their parents will be accepting enough of their identity to help their child get the gender-affirming care that is necessary to feel comfortable in their own skin. 

Just as it was with The Heartbeat Law, these claims by Texas officials are only hurting people and making it even harder for people to get the potentially lifesaving healthcare that is needed. 

It seems as if the only people who haven’t been directly affected by any of the laws or claims being made recently in Texas are, to no one’s surprise, cisgender men. Probably because that is who these laws and claims are being made by. 

Political officials need to stop prohibiting people from getting necessary healthcare especially if it is being administered by a trained healthcare professional and, in this case, approved by a parent or guardian.

Blocking this care from happening can be life-threatening to trans teens, seeing as many rely on this care to affirm their identity and what they know is their true gender. 

According to, The Trevor Project, as of 2020 52% of all transgender and nonbinary young people in the U.S. have seriously contemplated suicide. This statistic will only increase if trans teens aren’t able to get the health care that affirms their identity and makes them comfortable in their own skin. 

This just highlights that Texan political officials care more about their personal beliefs than the lives of teens and families that their harmful claims are negatively affecting. 

 Think about it, what good can come from gender-affirming care being labeled as child abuse? This not only stigmatizes this care and makes it even harder to attain, but spreads untruthful claims that can be absorbed by the citizens of Texas. 

So, Texas, please stop putting personal and religious beliefs over the well-being of your citizens, and start to think about what you can do to actually help them.