A bill that would prohibit health care providers from providing gender-affirming treatments for transgender children was passed by the Texas Senate on Tuesday.
Senate Bill 1311 moves on to the Texas House for approval. If passed by the lower chamber, the bill would then need to be signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott.
Under the proposed legislation, the Texas Medical Board would revoke the license of a physician or other medical professional for “prescribing and performing gender transitioning or gender assignment medical procedures or treatments to children, including surgeries, puberty-blocking drugs, and cross-sex hormones.”
“I think we have a responsibility for protecting children,” Republican Sen. Bob Hall, the bill’s author, said. “I think our job is to protect those who can’t protect themselves.”
House Bill 1399, a companion bill to SB 1311, failed to receive initial approval before a deadline in the Texas House.
LGBTQ advocates have fought against both HB 1399 and SB 1311 this legislative session, arguing lawmakers are attempting to take decision-making ability away from patients and their physicians.
