The Biden administration issued a warning that it would take "immediate action" against Texas aftrer it declared puberty blockers and gender-affirming surgery as "child abuse."
Texas continues its fight against the LGBT agenda by labeling puberty blockers and the castration of children as "child abuse," as per the state's Attorney General Ken Paxton. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott also ordered an investigation into parents who allow their children to undergo gender-affirming surgeries at a young age. The Biden administration condemned Texas' move, challenging it with a stern warning.
"This is government overreach at its worst," Democrat President Joe Biden said in a statement last week. "Like so many anti-transgender attacks proliferating in states across the country, the Governor's actions callously threaten to harm children and their families just to score political points."
Biden argued, "These actions are terrifying many families in Texas and beyond. And they must stop."
According to the Christian Post, Biden said that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has placed Texas "on notice that their discriminatory actions put children's lives at risk." The HHS then issued new guidance that said these restrictions would likely violate federal civil rights laws.
HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra in a statement announced that his team has been directed to "evaluate the tools" at their disposal to "protect trans and gender diverse youth in Texas" and announced ways the agency can protect these children. The HHS secretary promised that the agency would "take immediate action if needed."
Becerra encouraged anyone in Texas "who is being targeted by a child welfare investigation because of this discriminatory gubernatorial order" to contact the Office for Civil Rights to report any violation of rights.
In February, Paxton wrote in a formal opinion that sex-change procedures among children "can legally constitute child abuse under several provisions of chapter 261 of the Texas Family Code." These procedures include castration, the removal of healthy body parts, and recommending puberty blockers that cause infertility.
Paxton argued that as per medical evidence, there is no benefit from "irreversible sterilization procedures" to children and adolescents. He called these invasive procedures that make kids appear more like the opposite sex a way to "deprive the child of the fundamental right to procreate," which constitutes child abuse under the Family Code. He underscored how children are "legally incompetent to consent to sterilization, procedures and treatments that result in a child's sterilization." These procedures also "infringe on the child's fundamental right to procreate."
According to Houston Public Media, several district and county attorneys have also expressed disapproval over Paxton's opinion. This includes Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, who refused to prosecute any parent or facility who provides "medically appropriate care" to transgender children. Another vocal opponent to Paxton's opinion is Jackie Anderson, the president of Houston Federation of Teachers, a union of Houston ISD teachers.
Anderson argued that the interpretation of child abuse was disruptive to students' education and was appalled at the expectation of Texas government to "snitch on parents who are seeking medical and emotional assistance for their kids."
