A Texas House committee has approved a bill banning gender-affirming medical care for those 17 or younger, the second piece of legislation directed at transgender Texans to advance this legislative session.
House Bill 1399, which will soon be eligible for a vote by the full House, would ban doctors from offering a range of surgeries and treatments to youths — including puberty blockers commonly used to delay the onset of physical changes, providing time to decide if more permanent changes are desired.
State Rep. Matt Krause, R-Fort Worth, said his bill is needed to protect young people from life-altering and permanent changes that they are too young to fully understand and might come to regret when older.