DALLAS — The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services has begun investigating parents of transgender adolescents seeking gender-affirming medical care for potential child abuse, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Travis County court.
The investigations follow a directive from Gov. Greg Abbott to state agencies to investigate reports of transgender youth receiving gender-affirming care as child abuse. He warned that educators, medical professionals and others who don’t report alleged abuse could face consequences. The Dallas Morning News has reached out to Abbott’s office and is awaiting a response.
One day prior to Abbott’s order, Attorney General Ken Paxton released a nonbinding opinion that said certain types of medical care for trans adolescents — including hormone therapy and puberty blockers — are a form of child abuse.
