Texas Gov_ Greg Abbott has ordered the state’s child welfare agency to investigate reports of gender-confirming care for kids as “child abuse.'
are up for reelection this year, and their actions came a week before they are on the ballot for Republican voters in Texas's first-in-the-nation primary of 2022.“I hereby direct your agency to conduct a prompt and thorough investigation of any reported instances of these abusive procedures in the State of Texas,” Abbott said in a letter to the Department of Family and Protective Services.
The uncertainty over the impact is largely due to the fact that attorney general opinions do not carry the weight of law. In Houston, the county office that represents the state in civil child abuse cases said it would not take any actions based on the letter, and Texas' largest child welfare advocacy group said it was unclear what judges and prosecutors would do with the opinion.
“What is clear is that politicians should not be tearing apart loving families — and sending their kids into the foster care system — when parents provide recommended medical care that they believe is in the best interest of their child,” said Kate Murphy, the senior policy associate for child protection at Texans Care for Children.The opinion by Paxton is directed at treatments that include puberty blockers and hormone therapy.
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