The Texas Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the state can enforce its law prohibiting physicians from performing “transgender” medical interventions on minors.
Texas’ SB 14 was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott on June 2, 2023. It prohibits physicians from providing puberty blockers, opposite-sex hormones and surgeries to minors to treat gender confusion.
Various far left organizations including Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Texas and the Transgender Law Center, filed suit against the law on behalf of five Texas families with gender confused minors.
Last week, a Texas district judge granted the organization’s request for a temporary injunction, preventing the law from taking effect.
However, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton promptly appealed the ruling to the Texas Supreme Court, leading to Thursday’s ruling.
The Texas Supreme Court’s extraordinarily brief order stated: “Appellees’ emergency motion for temporary relief denied.”
This ruling permits the law to take effect as of September 1, 2023, as the litigation in the case plays out.
Jonathan Covey serves as Director of Policy for Texas Value, a Focus on the Family-allied state family policy organization. In a statement following the ruling, Covey said, “Texas kids are safer today because of the Supreme Court ruling on SB 14,” adding,
Protecting children from harmful and dangerous gender transition surgeries and puberty blockers is in the best interests of the child and something we all agree on.
The court’s ruling comes just a few days after a judge refused to block a Missouri law that also protects minors from transgender medical interventions.
So far, at least 22 states have passed legislation protecting minors from these harmful and experimental transgender medical interventions – though only a few have been permitted to take effect. The majority remain blocked by federal judges at the urging of far-left activist organizations.
Texas is now the largest state to enforce a law protecting minors from transgender medical interventions.
After the ruling, Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said in a statement, “There is no constitutional right to mutilate children,” adding,
Puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and mutilating surgeries are harmful and often irreversible. The Texas Supreme Court has rightly decided to let the state of Texas protect children from these horrible procedures that devastate many lives.
We can all be grateful that Texas children are now being protected from damaging and irreversible “transgender” treatments. We cannot stop until all children are also protected under law.
The case is State of Texas v. Lazaro Loe.
For families and individuals struggling with transgender issues, Focus on the Family offers a free, one-time counseling consultation with a licensed or pastoral counselor. To request a counseling consultation, call 1-855-771-HELP (4357) or fill out our Counseling Consultation Request Form.
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Court Upholds Ban on ‘Transgender’ Interventions for Minors in Missouri
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How to Defeat Gender Ideology, Protect Children and End ‘Trans America’
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