The Epoch Times
The Epoch Times
AD
The Epoch Times
Support Us
SHARE
USRegional & State NewsState NewsTexas News

Lawsuit Filed to Stop Texas Ban on Child Gender Transition Surgery and Hormones

Copy
Facebook
X
Truth
Gettr
LinkedIn
Telegram
Email
Save
Lawsuit Filed to Stop Texas Ban on Child Gender Transition Surgery and Hormones
The Texas State Capitol is seen on the first day of the 87th Legislature's third special session in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 20, 2021. Tamir Kalifa/Getty Images
Darlene McCormick Sanchez
By Darlene McCormick Sanchez
7/14/2023Updated: 7/14/2023
0:00

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas and Lambda Legal are suing to stop Texas from banning child gender modification hormones and surgery.

The lawsuit, filed July 12 in state district court in liberal Travis County, aims to block Senate Bill 14 before it can go into effect on Sept. 1.

“This law would ban necessary and life-saving medical care for Texas’s transgender youth, cut off access to care for adolescent minors already receiving treatment, and require the state to revoke the medical licenses of physicians providing the best standard of care to their trans patients,” according to a statement from ACLU Texas.

Texas GOP lawmaker Jeff Leach posted on Twitter that litigation was expected.

“What should also be expected is the State of Texas vigorously defending this law that protects children from dangerous and irreversible modification and mutilation procedures. We will fight. And we will win,” he wrote.

Three doctors and families with transgender children are plaintiffs in the 335-page lawsuit (pdf) claiming SB 14 violates the Texas Constitution by allowing discrimination of a group based on sex and transgender identity.

The GOP-dominated Legislature passed the ban this spring with fierce opposition from Democrats, who made multiple attempts to water down the bill by introducing almost 20 amendments.

Medical professionals attending the annual Pediatric Endocrine Society conference listen to detransition advocates as they use intercom's in San Diego, Calif., on May 6, 2023. (John Fredicks/The Epoch Times)
Medical professionals attending the annual Pediatric Endocrine Society conference listen to detransition advocates as they use intercom's in San Diego, Calif., on May 6, 2023. John Fredicks/The Epoch Times

The bill prohibits “treatment” for childhood gender dysphoria, including surgeries that sterilize children, such as removing parts of their reproductive systems, mastectomies, and prescribing drugs that induce temporary or permanent infertility, such as cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers, or removing any otherwise healthy or non-diseased body part.

More than 20 Republican-led state legislatures have passed similar laws, with many facing legal challenges by the ACLU and other leftwing groups, according to Reuters.

The Texas lawsuit claims that if left untreated, gender dysphoria “can have dire and serious consequences for the health and wellbeing of transgender people, including adolescents. In Texas, adolescents who experience gender dysphoria currently have access to medically necessary care and treatment, which allows them to safely address their gender dysphoria and live as their true selves.”

Republican state Rep. Tom Oliverson helped shepherd the bill through the House.

Dr. Oliverson told The Epoch Times there is no high-quality scientific evidence that puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or surgery help children overcome gender dysphoria.

Oliverson said that evidence of adverse outcomes for such “treatment” is growing.

“Risks including bone demineralization, abnormalities of brain and cardiovascular development, strokes, blood clots, chronic pain, infertility, and incontinence are known to accompany these treatments for a lifetime,” he said.

Plaintiff lawyers claim “decades of clinical experience and a large body of scientific and medical literature” support procedures on children.

Proponents of transgender procedures have argued that transitioning is safe and positively affects the mental health of those with gender dysphoria. Some claim that if parents deny a child’s chosen identity, it can lead to suicide or worsening mental health.

Opponents say that children are not mature enough to make life-altering decisions that could lead to other medical problems without improving mental stability. They point to “detransitioners” who regret undergoing surgeries and hormones and experience continued psychological and physical repercussions.

Recently, a landmark Denmark study showed that transgender people in the country had 7.7 times the rate of suicide attempts and 3.5 times the rate of suicide deaths compared with the rest of the population.

Transgender people in Denmark died at younger ages than others, whether by suicide or other causes, according to the study.

Anti-trans activist Chris Elston, joined by his supporters, demonstrates against "gender affirmation" treatments and surgeries on minors, outside of Boston Children's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, on Sept. 18, 2022. (Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images)
Anti-trans activist Chris Elston, joined by his supporters, demonstrates against "gender affirmation" treatments and surgeries on minors, outside of Boston Children's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, on Sept. 18, 2022. Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

An Inconvenient Law

The lawsuit alleges that transgender youth are being discriminated against.

It says physicians can provide hormone treatments to youths with genetic disorders or other medical conditions but not transgender youth.

One mother’s account in the lawsuit lamented that her 16-year-old daughter, who identified as a boy, had been on hormone blockers and was scheduled for a mastectomy but had to cancel the procedure because of SB 14.

Parents, both teachers, of a 15-year-old boy who identifies as a girl told his parents he was transgender when he was 12, according to the lawsuit.

His parents allowed him to go on puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones in 2022. They expressed frustration at the inconvenience the new law would impose on their family.

Because of SB 14, the “family is considering whether and how to get ... treatment out of state, which would either require them to split up their family or spend thousands of dollars on out-of-pocket medical treatment and travel.”

Darlene McCormick Sanchez
Darlene McCormick Sanchez
Reporter
Darlene McCormick Sanchez is an Epoch Times reporter who covers border security and immigration, election integrity, and Texas politics. Ms. McCormick Sanchez has 20 years of experience in media and has worked for outlets including Waco Tribune Herald, Tampa Tribune, and Waterbury Republican-American. She was a finalist for a Pulitzer prize for investigative reporting.
Author’s Selected Articles

Democrats and Republicans Clash Over New Jersey Rep Facing Charges After Scuffle Outside ICE Facility

May 20, 2025
Democrats and Republicans Clash Over New Jersey Rep Facing Charges After Scuffle Outside ICE Facility

Republicans Ask Secretary Noem to Reconsider Border Wall Budget

May 20, 2025
Republicans Ask Secretary Noem to Reconsider Border Wall Budget

US Attorney’s New Program Gets Around California’s Sanctuary Laws Shielding Illegal Immigrants From ICE

May 19, 2025
US Attorney’s New Program Gets Around California’s Sanctuary Laws Shielding Illegal Immigrants From ICE

Bipartisan Bill Would Require Accountability and State Department Plan to Dismantle Mexican Cartels

May 15, 2025
Bipartisan Bill Would Require Accountability and State Department Plan to Dismantle Mexican Cartels
Related Topics
surgery
lawsuit
Hormones
Texas transgender law
Save
The Epoch Times
Copyright © 2000 - 2025 The Epoch Times Association Inc. All Rights Reserved.