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The Republican Governor of Texas, greg abbottenacted a law on Friday that prohibits children of the transgender community receive puberty blockers and hormone therapies, although the new law that could face legal challenges before it takes effect on September 1.
The passage of Senate Bill 14 ends a legislative priority for the Texas Republican Party, which opposes any effort to validate transgender identities. Trans children, their parents and LGBTQ advocacy groups fiercely oppose the law, and some have vowed to prevent it from taking effect.
Texas thus joined 18 other territories in the country that have banned or restricted gender change treatments for minors, after its governor, Republican Greg Abbott, ratified a law that makes the practice illegal.
Specifically, the Texas law prohibits doctors from prescribing hormonal treatments or puberty blockers, or performing gender transition surgeries on children under 18 years of age.
The measure is expected to enter into force on September 1, although it includes exceptions for those people who are already receiving this type of treatment.
These types of laws that aim to restrict minors’ access to gender-affirming care have recently become popular in Republican-ruled states of the country.
Conservatives argue that the measures are aimed at preventing young people from making irreversible decisions that they may later regret.
However, There are few studies on the long-term effect of this type of treatment in minors. Many Democratic legislators, for their part, warn of the risk of stigmatizing a community that already often suffers high levels of discrimination and abuse.
In addition, organizations that defend LGBT rights fear that the situation could lead more young transgender people to commit suicide, since they are among the most vulnerable groups.
Major medical associations agree that gender affirming treatments are appropriate for adults and youth with gender dysphoria.
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