On Friday, the Texas House of Representatives voted 91-49 to support SB 14, moving the state closer to prohibiting puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and “gender-affirming” surgeries in children. Democrat Shawn Thierry was the lone Democrat to vote for the bill.
After the House made a technical change to SB 14, it was sent back to the Senate for a final vote. The bill has a good chance of passing through the Senate and Governor Greg Abbott’s desk.
The bill has been derided as an oppressive piece of legislation by trans and LGBTQ supporters.
Certain transition-related services would be denied to transgender people under 18.
According to the measure, any young person already receiving treatment must be “weaned off” their medication in a “medically appropriate” way.
The measure forbids any surgery to modify a child’s body to reflect the gender they feel they are, in defiance of their chromosomes, DNA, biology, and sexual reproduction organs.
A frequent criticism by the left is that surgeries are not performed on children; therefore, the right is being idiotic in their measures. The counter-argument is, if you never plan to perform surgeries on children, what is the harm of passing a law prohibiting them?
The left’s protestations often reveal their plans.
Also prohibited are prescribing, providing, dispensing, or administering prescription drugs that induce infertility, including puberty blockers, on minors.
There is an exception for its use in the case of precocious puberty or medical ailments. Feeling like you’re a girl or a boy will not be considered a physical ailment.
To paraphrase one politician: after hearing from constituents, listening to stakeholders, and studying scientific data from the United States and throughout the world,
this stance is grounded in evidence-based policy that promotes children’s health, development, and general well-being.
