Wikimedia Commons / U.S. Department of Justice
The two bills filed this week echo attempts made by AG Ken Paxton to classify gender affirming care as child abuse.
On Monday, at least two GOP legislators introduced proposals to criminalize gender-affirming care for minors. That day marked the first lawmakers had to file bills in anticipation of the session.
House Bill 42, filed by Rep. Bryan Slaton, R-Royse City, would broaden the state's definition of child abuse to include providing gender-affirming health care to minors — even under the guidance of a doctor or other medical professional.
Meanwhile, House Bill 112, filed by Rep. Steve Toth, R-The Woodlands, would make it up to a second-degree felony for medical providers to offer gender-affirming procedures to those under 18. Further, Toth's House Bill 41 would strip those healthcare professionals of liability insurance.
The bills echo Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's attempt earlier this year to classify gender-affirming care for minors as child abuse. Top medical and legal experts blasted the AG's nonbonding opinion for citing debunked research, ignoring mainstream science and including false information.
Even so, Gov. Greg Abbott, a fellow Republican, used Paxton's opinion to justify his order that state's child welfare workers investigate parents who help their kids obtain gender-affirming care. Those probes have largely been shut down by a court order.
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