Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) has initiated an investigation into Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin following a video showing staff at the facility allegedly stating they were treating children transitioning genders as young as eight years old.
In response to the allegations, Paxton issued a Request to Examine the medical center to ensure the nonprofit adheres to Texas law, which classifies most gender transition treatments for minors as illegal child safety violations. Paxton expressed his concern over the matter, stating that it is “deeply disturbing” and “there is no place for it in Texas.”
BREAKING: I am launching an investigation into Dell Children's Medical Center regarding gender transitioning of minors. Gender transitioning minors is child abuse, and child abuse will not be tolerated. pic.twitter.com/WOXqssBQ1i
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) May 5, 2023
The Texas attorney general has requested documents from the medical center, including the ages of patients receiving “Gender Transitioning and Gender Reassignment” procedures, treatments, and counseling, as well as the number of times a patient is seen before receiving treatment, the length of counseling sessions, any complaints the center may have received, and other related materials.
A video published by Project Veritas triggered the investigation. A social worker at the medical center allegedly said: “We do have patients starting as young as 8, 9 [years old]. So we do have folks on the younger side.” The worker also suggested that it is appropriate for a provider to prescribe puberty blockers after only one session.
BREAKING: @TXAG @KenPaxtonTX Launches Official Investigation Into Dell Medical Center Following Project Veritas #TooYoung Exposé
(Docs 1-4) pic.twitter.com/h7P62zFiTi
— Project Veritas (@Project_Veritas) May 5, 2023
In a statement addressing the investigation, Dell Children’s Medical Center said it “prohibits surgery and prescribing hormone therapy, including puberty blockers, for the treatment of gender dysphoria in children and adolescents.”
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) have also called on the hospital to provide more information about its procedures following the video’s release. In a joint letter to the medical center, they expressed concern that Dell Children’s provides “experimental, unproven, and dangerous medical procedures to young children.”
Attorney General Paxton’s investigation is part of a broader effort by Republicans to scrutinize hospitals that provide gender reassignment treatments, sometimes referred to as “gender-affirming” care, to minors. Paxton told Fox News Digital, “There are countless heartbreaking stories of young children who have been convinced to undergo experimental, life-altering procedures and are now filled with regret and health challenges. That is an absolute tragedy, and it cannot continue.”
In contrast, other states have advanced gender transition procedures. For example, Washington state’s Senate Bill 5599 aims to “remove barriers to accessing temporary, licensed shelter accommodations for youth” and provide “protected health services.” Oregon’s House Bill 2002 proposes insurance coverage for “any combination of gender-affirming treatment procedures.”
The American Civil Liberties Union has criticized Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott for his efforts to impose restrictions on gender-transitioning procedures, describing them as part of an “ongoing fight to erase transgender people from public life.”
Paxton, however, remains steadfast in his stance, stating, “We cannot allow kids to be indoctrinated by ‘transgender’ activists who care more about left-wing ideology than the long-term health of children.”
