GOP-led Texas legislature passes bill to ban gender-affirming care for minors

May 18 (UPI) -- The Republican-controlled Texas legislature sent a controversial bill to ban gender-affirming care for minors to the desk of Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday, preparing the GOP-led state to become the latest to prohibit those under the age of 18 from accessing this form of evidence-based healthcare.

The legislature passed Senate Bill 14 on Wednesday despite the protest of Democrats and civil rights and LGBTQ advocates, and the recommendations of every major medical association, including the American Medical Association, which support gender-affirming care for minors and oppose government intrusion into the practice of medicine.

The bill bans those under the age of 18 from receiving medical forms of gender-affirming care, including hormone and puberty blockers.

The legislation includes an exception for those receiving medical treatment prior to June 1, but mandates that the minor "shall wean off the prescription drug over a period of time."

Surgeries that result in sterilization are also banned under the bill, though surgical gender-affirming care treatments are typically performed when the patient is an adult and only on a case-by-case basis for minors, according to the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health.

The action comes as Republicans throughout the nation seek to ban gender-affirming care for minors while arguing it is to protect children. Democrats and civil rights and LGBTQ advocates see it as an attack on life-saving medical therapy.

"It's sad that we have to have these type of laws in our state, but unfortunately we do, and we must protect our children. They're worth fighting for. They're worth protecting," state Rep. Mayra Flores, a Republican, said in a video statement published to Twitter earlier this week.

The bill is to go into effect Sept. 1 once signed by Abbott, a Republican, who previously ordered state agencies to investigate gender-affirming care for transgender minors as "child abuse."

The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas on Wednesday condemned the passing of the bill, while suggesting they will challenge it via litigation.

"This is a dark day in Texas," Ash Hall, policy and advocacy strategist at the ACLU of Texas, said in a statement.

"This legislation is vicious, it's cruel and it's blatantly unconstitutional. The bigotry and discrimination in this bill will not stand up in court and it will not stand the test of time. Transgender people have always existed and always will, and the vast majority of Texans do not support harming them or cutting off this life-saving healthcare."

With the passing of the bill, Texas is poised to join the more than 15 states that have banned gender-affirming care for minors, according to the Movement Advancement Project.

The Williams Institute, a sexual orientation and gender identity law and public policy research center, estimates that there are fewer than 30,000 transgender youth in Texas, representing less than 1.5% of the state's population.