Texas: Judge Blocks Ban on Transgender Procedures for Minors

Facts

On Friday, US District Judge Maria Cantú Hexsel issued a temporary injunction to stop Texas from enforcing a law that would prohibit healthcare professionals from providing transgender procedures to minors.¹
The law, the judge ruled, likely violates the Texas Constitution because it allegedly infringes on "the fundamental right of parents to make decisions concerning the care, custody, and control of their children."²
Hexsel added that the law would result in "the loss of access to safe, effective, and medically necessary treatment for transgender adolescents experiencing gender dysphoria."³
The law — which the defense lawyers claimed "was enacted to protect minors from scientifically unsound treatment" — was scheduled to take effect Sept. 1.⁴
The law — signed by Gov. Greg Abbott in June — would see Texas join at least 20 other states in enacting bans on transgender procedures.¹
Meanwhile, the state filed an appeal to the Texas Supreme Court, putting Friday's ruling on hold. The Texas attorney general's office said it would "continue to enforce the laws duly enacted by the Texas Legislature."⁵

Right narrative, as provided by National Review. If laws banning gender-transition medical treatments are blocked from taking effect, countless children will have their well-being threatened. The state must prevent minors from accessing hormone therapies, puberty blockers, and transition surgeries, as they are unsafe, untested, and can cause long-term physical and fertility issues.
Left narrative, as provided by Scientific American. First, it was the government, and now it's the state's justice system that has failed to protect the most vulnerable of the American population. Ignoring a decade of research that shows gender-affirming care improves transgender youth's mental health and reduces the risk of depression and suicide violates these children's and their families' rights.