Trans teens suddenly lose care as Texas attorney general investigates Austin hospital

Teens receiving transitional medical care in Texas learned this week that they would no longer have access to their doctor because the Austin hospital where the treatment was given was placed under surveillance as part of its efforts to crack down on transgender people State officials is health care.

families told The Texas Tribune Suddenly, news broke that Dell Children’s Medical Center would no longer be offering previously planned treatments such as puberty blockers, leading them to seek new providers in a state where transgender medical care is scarce. The hospital confirmed this in a statement to the tribune that “the doctors who have worked in the clinic so far will leave the clinic.”

Some have even considered moving rather than dropping out of care, a parent told the outlet.

“For the past few days I’ve felt like I don’t want to leave a home, community and schools that we love,” said one mother, who asked not to use her name for safety’s sake. called. “But how much stress would then be relieved and what a relief it would be to be in a place where that wasn’t an issue — that part, I don’t think, can’t be underestimated.”

Earlier this month, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced an investigation into the facility, alleging potentially unlawful conduct. However, he did not name any allegations and did not explain which laws would be violated.

“It’s deeply troubling and there’s no place for it in Texas,” he said called.

The investigation was announced shortly after a Video was released by Project Veritas, a far-right group known for using fraudulent hidden-camera editing to produce sting videos against liberal causes that claim the hospital is providing gender-sensitive care for children as young as eight.

“Our organization prohibits surgical procedures and the prescription of hormone therapies to treat gender dysphoria in children,” the hospital said called in a statement to NBC News. “Although our pediatric and adolescent health clinics do not offer these interventions, we do provide a safe and welcoming place for children to receive other forms of primary care and treatment, including treatment for illness and injury, visits to babies, and school screening.”

The state is attempting to ban gender-based childcare for those under the age of 18.

Last year, based on a statement from the Attorney General, the Texas governor directed state officials to investigate gender-based tutoring as child abuse.

Texas is one of several conservative states across the country looking to limit or outright ban gender-sensitive care for transgender people, which often serves as a lifeline for a severely marginalized population that suffers from high rates of mental health issues and suicide.