Texas lawmakers OK bill banning some treatments for trans kids; SB 14 nears becoming law

The Texas Senate on Wednesday approved changes made by House members to Senate Bill 14, a proposal to ban certain gender affirming medical treatments for transgender children, sending the bill to Gov. Greg Abbott to be signed into law.

Despite efforts by House Democrats to stop the bill, the House approved it Monday, after a House committee added a provision that allows, and requires, patients who are on puberty blockers or hormone treatments by June 1 to be weaned off their medications in a safe and medically appropriate period of time. The provision only applies to patients who attended 12 or more therapy sessions at least six months before beginning medical treatment.

More: Watch our documentary 'Existing as transgender in Texas'

SB 14 would prohibit doctors from providing gender affirming medical treatments — including puberty blockers, hormone therapy or certain surgeries — to minors experiencing gender dysphoria, a condition where one’s gender identity does not align with their sex at birth. It would also ban any public money from going to physicians, hospitals or other entities that provide such treatments, and revoke the medical licenses of any medical professionals that do so.

The bill would not apply to children who are intersex, or who need such medication to treat premature puberty.

Major medical associations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, and the American Psychiatric Association support the provision of developmentally-appropriate and individualized gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth, saying it can be lifesaving and medically necessary. However, Republicans and other supporters of the bill say minors should be prevented from making decisions about their medical care that could have long-term impacts or side effects.

While the bill was previously amended in the Senate to allow patients who are receiving puberty blockers or hormone therapy by June 1 to be exempted from the ban, the bill’s author later reversed course and removed the amendment before the bill was passed out of the Senate. A House committee then amended the bill to allow for current patients to be eased off their medications, a change the Senate agreed to Wednesday.

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SB 14 faced a tumultuous path to approval in the House, with Republicans attempting to bring it up for debate on the House floor twice at the beginning of the month. But Democrats both times managed to successfully use a procedural tactic called a “point of order” to identify minor errors in the legislation that violated House rules, delaying the debate for more than a week.

After fixing the mistakes found in the bill two times, Republicans on Friday brought SB 14 to the House floor for a third time, where, despite an emotional and tense debate and several attempts by Democrats to kill or amend the legislation, the House approved the measure with a 92-48 vote.

Several Democratic House members reported their voting machines had malfunctioned and were incorrectly recorded as voting in favor of the bill. When it finally passed in the House on Monday, the vote was 87-56.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas Legislature: Path clear for ban on some care for trans kids