District attorneys in Texas have slammed Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton over their harmful anti-trans directives.
On 18 February, Paxton released an opinion denouncing gender-affirming care and even said that it could be considered child abuse under the state’s law.
Following Paxton’s archaic statements, Abbott released his own transphobic letter – which ordered investigations into the life-saving treatments.
In a joint Twitter statement on 24 February, five district attorneys from across the state condemned the two political figures and their “life-threatening” orders.
“We are deeply disturbed by Governor Abbott and Attorney General Paxton’s cruel directives treating transgender children’s access to life-saving, gender-affirming care as “child abuse,”” they said.
“We also want to be clear: we will enforce the Constitution and will not irrationally and unjustifiably interfere with the medical decisions made between children, their parents and their medical physicians.”
The statement ended with the group reassuring families of trans kids that they are “safe to continue seeking the care that their children need.”
“We will not allow the Governor and Attorney General to disregard Texan children’s lives in order to score political points,” they said.
“We have a choice: we can launch politically motivated attacks, or we can lift up and protect communities. We are proud to do the latter.”
The DA’s joint statement follows Abbott’s anti-trans letter to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.
In response to Governor Abbott and AG Paxton’s directives regarding transgender youth care: pic.twitter.com/oPHH7PBfz7
— Dallas County DA (@Dallas_DA) February 24, 2022
In the document sent on 22 February, he ordered the department to conduct investigations into gender-affirming care.
“Because the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) is responsible for protecting children from abuse, I hereby direct your agency to conduct a prompt and thorough investigation of any reported instances of these abusive procedures in the State of Texas,” he instructed.
The 64-year-old also said that the state should investigate the parents of trans children that are taking puberty and hormone-suppressing drugs.
“All licensed professionals who have direct contact with children who may be subject to such abuse, including doctors, nurses, and teachers should report it immediately or face “criminal penalties,”” he said.
The harmful letter was met with immediate backlash from politicians, LGBTQ+ activists, and the White House.
In an official statement, the Biden administration slammed the anti-LGBTQ+ governor and his letter.
“Families should have the right to seek healthcare that will enable young people to live healthy and fulfilled lives. Conservative officials in Texas and other states across the country should stop inserting themselves into healthcare decisions that create needless tension between paediatricians and their patients,” it stated.
“And no parent should face the agony of a politician standing in the way of accessing life-saving care for their child.”
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