A county judge granted a temporary injunction so doctors at Children’s Medical Center Dallas may be able to treat trans youth through next spring.
This comes after a two-week temporary restraining order that allowed care to start back up for new patients after being on hold since last November, when GENECIS was quietly closed. GENECIS was a gender-affirming care program focused on trans youth and run by UT Southwestern and Children’s Medical Center Dallas. Political pressure from Texas leaders led to the program’s closure.
Dr. Ximena Lopez, who ran the program, took her employer to court in March. She said that stopping this care was putting Texas patients at risk. In the weeks after the temporary restraining order went into effect on May 12, more than 50 families had called Dr. Lopez to schedule appointments.
Now, with the temporary injunction, the hospital can see patients for the next year until the court date in April 2023—unless there’s an appeal.
It’s unclear whether Attorney General Ken Paxton or Gov. Greg Abbott will challenge the temporary injunction. Both politicians have targeted trans youth health care in the state for the past months. Paxton has petitioned to intervene in the case on behalf of the state, but so far a judge has not responded to the petition.
Got a tip? Email Elena Rivera at erivera@kera.org. You can follow Elena on Twitter @elenaiswriting.
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