(WBAP/KLIF) – The Federal government is pushing back against a directive from Texas Governor Greg Abbott regarding transgender children.
Governor Abbott sent a letter to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services last month directing the agency to conduct prompt and thorough investigations of any reported instances of Texas children being subjected to “abusive gender-transitioning procedures.” The directive comes after the Office of the Attorney General said that a number of so-called “sex-change” procedures for minors already constitute child abuse under existing Texas law.
“Because the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services is responsible for protecting children from abuse, I hereby direct your agency to conduct a prompt and thorough investigation of any reported instances of these abusive procedures in the State of Texas,” reads the letter. “To protect Texas children from abuse, DFPS and all other state agencies must follow the law as explained in OAG Opinion No. KP-0401.”
The letter notes that Texas law imposes reporting requirements upon all licensed professionals who have direct contact with children who may be subject to such abuse, including doctors, nurses, and teachers, and provides criminal penalties for failure to report such child abuse.
President Biden said this week that his administration is looking into what it can do to step in, and encouraged Texans to take action.
“This is government overreach at its worst,” said President Biden. “Like so many anti-transgender attacks proliferating in states across the country, the Governor’s actions callously threaten to harm children and their families just to score political points. These actions are terrifying many families in Texas and beyond. And they must stop.”
DFPS Commissioner Jaime Masters said the department would “follow Texas law” as laid out in the opinion from the attorney general.
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