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Texas Legal professional Normal Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit in opposition to a Dallas pediatrician, accusing her of violating state regulation by offering gender-transitioning therapies to no less than 21 teenage sufferers.
Thursday’s submitting is Paxton’s first try at suing a physician by leveraging Senate Invoice 14, a 2023 laws that prohibits physicians and well being care suppliers from prescribing hormones to minors to transition their organic intercourse.
The lawsuit accuses Could Lau, an adolescent drugs doctor and affiliate professor on the College of Texas Southwestern Medical Heart in Dallas, of violating Senate Invoice 14 by prescribing testosterone to no less than 21 sufferers between the ages of 14 and 17 to transition their organic gender or affirm their gender identification.
“Texas passed a law to protect children from these dangerous unscientific medical interventions that have irreversible and damaging effects,” Paxton stated in a information launch. “Doctors who continue to provide these harmful ‘gender transition’ drugs and treatments will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
Calling her a “scofflaw” and a “radical gender activist,” Paxton additionally accused Lau of “falsifying medical records, prescriptions, and billing records” by inserting a puberty blocker machine right into a 15-year-old and billing the affected person’s insurance coverage for an endocrine dysfunction as an alternative of the affected person’s gender dysphoria. Paxton claims that Lau used a diagnostic billing code from false billing code truth sheets supplied by Marketing campaign for Southern Equality, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group, saying Lau was making an attempt to hide that she was offering care in violation of state regulation.
Lau makes a speciality of adolescent feminine and male sexual and reproductive well being together with gender dysphoria and has labored at UT Southwestern since 2008, based on the medical middle’s web site. Lau and UT Southwestern didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark.
SB 14, which the Texas Supreme Courtroom upheld in June, instructions the Texas Medical Board to revoke the license or different authorization to observe drugs from a doctor who violates the regulation. As well as, Paxton is asking for $1 million, which incorporates civil penalties and to pay for different prices.
“We’re grateful for the Texas Attorney General’s leadership in protecting kids from these harmful treatments and procedures,” stated Jonathan Covey, coverage director of Texas Values, in a information launch. “No one is above the law, and it is horrific to hurt little children in order to advance radical gender ideology and play political games.”
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Andrea Segovia, coverage director of Transgender Training Community of Texas, stated Thursday’s lawsuit alerts to suppliers that they is perhaps sued for supplying remedy to transgender youth. She stated some medical doctors have already stopped offering gender-affirming care due to the chilling impact of SB 14.
“This is another straw in the haystack,” stated Segovia. “Adding to that ultimate goal of not providing the care people want in their state.”
For psychological well being help for LGBTQ youth, name the Trevor Undertaking’s 24/7 toll-free help line at 866-488-7386. For trans peer help, name the Trans Lifeline at 877-565-8860. You can too attain a skilled disaster counselor by means of the Suicide and Disaster Lifeline by calling or texting 988.
