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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott campaigning (stock image): "Criminal Penalties for Failure to Report Child Abuse"
Photo: Eric Gay/AP
Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has issued a letter directing authorities to investigate and qualify as "child abuse" when transgender children receive gender reassignment treatment.
This is reported by the newspapers “Dallas Morning News” and “Washington Post”, among others.
Accordingly, Abbott sent the letter to the Department of Family Affairs on Tuesday.
The authority is responsible for protecting children from abuse.
Educators, medical professionals, and others who failed to report "abuse" would face consequences.
"Texan law requires all licensed professionals who have direct contact with children who may be abused, including doctors, nurses and teachers, to be required to report and provides criminal penalties for failure to report child abuse," quoted " Dallas Morning News” from the letter.
The letter was addressed to several authorities in addition to the Ministry of Family Affairs.
Hormone treatment referred to as abuse
Recently, Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a statement describing certain medical treatments given to transgender youth, including hormone treatments and puberty blockers, as a form of child abuse.
According to media reports, Abbott and Paxton's testimonies are causing concern among parents of transgender children and adolescents.
It is unclear what the statements mean specifically for the treatments.
The Attorney General's statement left more questions than answers, Dallas Morning News quoted Kate Murphy, a representative of the non-profit child protection organization Texans Care for Children.
"When loving parents are following recommended medical treatment, which they believe is in their child's best interest, it's hard to imagine why Texas would legally conclude that this is child abuse," Murphy said.
According to media reports, some prosecutors are also resisting.
Texas is currently campaigning.
The primaries for the US congressional elections in November, the so-called midterms, will take place on March 1st, earlier than anywhere else in the US.
It is also about the governorship.
Democrat star Beto O'Rourke challenges incumbent Abbott.
In Germany, parents of intersex children are forbidden from having gender reassignment surgery on their offspring.
In March 2021, the Bundestag passed a ban on treatments intended to adjust the physical appearance of a child to that of male or female sex.
Exceptions are only permitted if the procedure cannot be postponed medically and is approved by an interdisciplinary committee.
At that time it was said that the law protected the right to sexual self-determination and protected those affected from unnecessary treatment.
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