Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit Thursday against a doctor for providing gender reassignment care to 21 minor patients, violating Texas law that prohibits gender reassignment medical interventions.
The lawsuit alleges that Dr. May Lau engaged in “deceptive transactions, including misleading pharmacies, insurance companies, and patients, including falsifying medical records, prescriptions, and billing records, as if the prescription for testosterone was for something other than its purpose.” He has been accused of engaging in “common practices.” The child’s biological sex or gender identity. )”
The complaint alleges that Ms. Lau is a “radical gender activist” with expertise in adolescent reproductive health and work at gender-affirming care clinics that closed with the passage of SB 14. In addition to her work, she has been cited for championing gender-affirming care in multiple medical journals. .
Hubert Seldin, a staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union’s LGBTQ & HIV Project, said the case is the first time the new law has been implemented.
Texas Senate Bill 14, passed in June 2023, restricts doctors from performing gender reassignment treatments under the threat of civil penalties and loss of medical licenses. The bill was quickly challenged and upheld by the Texas Supreme Court, which stated that the interest in protecting the health and safety of minors outweighed the right of parents to make medical decisions for their children. It was supported because it was important.
A statement released by Paxton’s office accompanying the lawsuit claimed that gender reassignment treatments are “experimental” and that there is “no scientific evidence” to support their effectiveness. However, several medical associations, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, have shown that minors in care have lower rates of suicide and suicide and have better mental health. Citing scientific research that supports the use of gender-affirming care for minors. depression.
Bans or restrictions on gender-affirming or gender-transition care are currently in effect in half of the United States, and six states make providing such care a felony.