Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Dr. May Lau, a physician at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, for allegedly violating the state’s ban on gender transition treatments for minors. The lawsuit claims that Lau prescribed hormones to minors for transitioning purposes in violation of Texas law. Paxton’s office is seeking more than $1 million in relief and injunctions against Lau, who is accused of prescribing testosterone to several teenage biological females before the ban took effect in 2023 and allowing them to refill prescriptions multiple times. The lawsuit also alleges Lau used false diagnoses to cover up gender transition treatments.
The ban, known as Senate Bill 14, prohibits gender modification surgeries and the prescription of puberty blockers for minors, with penalties including the potential loss of medical licenses for physicians and denial of funding for hospitals in violation.
Major medical associations support gender-affirming care for transgender youth, while some call for more research on the long-term effects of treatments like hormone therapy. The American Civil Liberties Union condemned Paxton’s lawsuit, arguing that politicians should not interfere with families and doctors in making medical decisions.
Paxton’s lawsuit is part of a broader effort by Texas Republicans to eliminate transgender health care for minors, citing concerns about fertility loss and viewing such treatments as dangerous. Democrats argue that the ban restricts access to accepted medical care and infringes on parental rights.
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