Texas Children's must open country's first "detransition clinic"
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Texas Children's Hospital in Houston. Photo: Callaghan O'Hare/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Texas Children's Hospital must open what is believed to be the country's first "detransition clinic" and pay the state $10 million as part of a settlement over transgender care for minors, Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Friday.
Why it matters: The settlement marks the latest move by Texas Republicans to restrict transgender rights as the state has enacted some of the nation's toughest policies targeting trans people, including limits on gender-affirming care for minors, sports participation and bathroom access.
Driving the news: The settlement resolves an investigation launched by Paxton's office in 2023 after Texas banned gender-affirming medical care for minors.
- The clinic will provide care for patients after undergoing gender-transition procedures, per Paxton.
State of play: Texas Children's, the country's largest pediatric hospital, is also required to stop providing gender-transition care for minors and fire and revoke the medical privileges of five doctors.
- The hospital must also fully fund detransition clinic services during its first five years.
What they're saying: "Today is a monumental day in the fight to stop the radical transgender movement. This historic settlement reflects an institutional and fundamental cultural shift away from radical 'gender' ideology," Paxton said in a statement Friday.
The other side: Texas Children's said in a statement Friday it "made the difficult decision" to settle to avoid prolonged litigation after spending three years responding to investigations by Paxton's office and the U.S. Department of Justice.
- The hospital said that it has been "navigating an unconscionable campaign of mistruths and mischaracterizations" during that time. The hospital said it produced more than 5 million documents during the investigations and maintained that it complied with the law.
- "To be clear – we are settling to protect our resources from endless and costly litigation. This settlement will allow us to redirect those precious resources to focus on the life-saving care and groundbreaking discoveries of our exceptional clinicians and scientists," the hospital said.
Reality check: Transition-related care for kids is considered safe, appropriate and medically necessary for children by major medical organizations, including the American Medical Association.
- Surgeries for transgender children are rare. Transgender teens who get gender-affirming care report high levels of satisfaction.
Detransitioning, or stopping or reversing gender transition, is relatively uncommon. The World Professional Association for Transgender Health said evidence of later regret is limited.
Zoom out: Andrea Segovia, senior field and policy director for the Transgender Education Network of Texas, told the Texas Tribune she worries other states could follow Texas' lead in requiring similar clinics.
- "It's terrifying what other states will take from this," Segovia said.
- Texas Rep. Ann Johnson (D-Houston) said "Texans should be concerned when politicians override doctors and families ... Healthcare should be guided by science and patient wellbeing, never partisan rhetoric."
Between the lines: Texas Children's announced layoffs in 2024 amid financial pressures.
What we're watching: The hospital did not say Friday when the clinic will open or what services it will provide.