Texas governor Greg Abbott is coming out hard against transgender children, their families, and their health care providers in the state. As reported by NBC News, Abbott is asking both "licensed professionals" and "members of the general public" to turn in parents who are believed to be supporting their kids as they receive gender-affirming medical attention and care.
The move has devastated parents across the state, many of whom now feel the lives of their children could be at stake.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has added fuel to the fire with an opinion piece in which he states that he believes parents supporting their children by helping them receive hormone therapy or gender-affirming surgery are child abusers.
Many people believe that Abbott and Paxton are after little more than political gain, and people are dismayed that the men appear willing to put the lives of children and their families in the balance as they pursue more political power.
Adri Pèrez, who works at the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, told NBC that they believe Paxton in particular is trying to distract the public from problems with his current campaign. He was indicted in 2015 on charges of security fraud and is also currently being investigated by the FBI.
As Pèrez noted, "There’s no court in Texas or the entire country that has ever found that gender-affirming care can constitute child abuse."
Brian Klosterboer, a lawyer for the ACLU in Texas, agrees. He said that Abbott's letter and Paxton's opinion "cannot change Texas law nor usurp the constitutional rights of Texas families."
Klosterboer pointed out that the problem with the letter and opinion piece is that they do have the power to terrorize families across the state. As he put it, "But they spread fear and misinformation and could spur false reporting of child abuse at a time when DFPS is already facing a crisis in our state’s foster care system."
He continued, "The law is clear that parents, guardians, and doctors can provide transgender youth with treatment in accordance with prevailing standards of care. Any parent or guardian who loves and supports their child and is taking them to a licensed health care provider is not engaging in child abuse."
