Austin, Texas (AP) – The Texas Supreme Court on Friday allowed the state to investigate parents of transgender teens for child abuse and also ruled in favor of a family, the first being welfare officials . until childhood, following an ordinance of the republican government. Greg Abbott.
The court did not decide on the merits of the investigation – which is the first of its kind in the United States – only that the lower courts in Texas have succeeded in all cases.
The mixed decision of the Texas Supreme Court, which is entirely overseen by nine elected Republican judges, comes at a time when GOP lawmakers in the United States are working to impose restrictions on transgender rights.
Lambada Legal, which helped file a lawsuit against Texas on behalf of the 16 -year -old girl’s parents, called the decision a success because it stopped state investigations into their family. While the decision does not preclude the investigation of other families in Texas, the state would be reckless in doing so because these families could also apply for an injunction, said Omar Gonzalez-Paden, legal counsel and health strategist at Lambada Legal.
“Doing so would be pointless and a complete waste of resources,” Gonzalez-Paden said.
Texas surpassed any other state in February When Abbott issued the first injunction It ordered child care officials to investigate reports of child sexual assistance as violence.
A judge in Austin revoked the order following a lawsuit filed on behalf of a 16-year-old girl whose family said the state was already investigating their family. It is archived by the American Civil Liberties Union and Lambda Legal.
The lawsuit cited the first parental investigation report after the Abbott Directive and an earlier non-binding legal opinion from Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, who called some of the sexual abuse “child abuse.” The Texas Department of Family and Conservation Services said it initiated nine investigations following the directive and opinion.
Two more lawmakers came to Indiana And Utah They broke up their party and vetoed the law banning transgender female players in women’s sports.
In Texas, plaintiff groups also represented a clinical psychologist who said the governor’s directive forced him to choose between reporting clients to the state or losing his license and other fines.
The governor’s directive and Paxton’s opinion are against the nation’s largest medical group, including the American Medical Association, which opposes Republican -supported restrictions on transgender people included in state homes across the country.
Source: Huffpost
