Texas sues another physician over gender-affirming care to minors

A third physician in Texas is facing legal action over a state law that restricts medical providers from providing gender transition-related care to minors. 

Attorney General Ken Paxton's office on Nov. 8 announced a lawsuit against Brett Cooper, MD, claiming the physician illegally prescribed hormone therapy drugs to 15 minors most recently as Sept. 25. SB 14, the bill banning surgeries, puberty blockers and hormone therapy for minors, went into effect in September 2023. 

The complaint, filed Nov. 4 in the District Court of Collin County, also accuses Dr. Cooper of falsifying medical and billing records to conceal the prescriptions. The physician works at Dallas-based UT Southwestern Medical Center and has hospital privileges at Children's Medical Center Dallas. The hospitals did not immediately respond to The Dallas Morning News' request for comment on the matter Nov. 8. 

Dr. Cooper has been an outspoken advocate against Texas' ban on gender-affirming healthcare. The attorney general's complaint references former posts Dr. Cooper shared on social media platform X in which he criticized the legislation. 

This marks the third time Mr. Paxton's office has taken legal action against physicians regarding SB 14 violations since October. On Oct. 17, his office announced a similar lawsuit against May Chi Lau, a Dallas-based UT Southwestern Medical Center physician. Toward the end of the month, the attorney general also sued Hector Granados, MD, an El Paso-based physician, for prescribing puberty blockers and hormone therapy drugs to minors. 

"Texas has prohibited doctors from prescribing these damaging and unfounded 'gender transition' drugs to children," Mr. Paxton said in a news release. "These medical professionals cannot willfully ignore the law and endanger the health of young people."

The American Medical Association and American Academy of Pediatrics refute claims that gender-affirming care is "experimental," and support related treatments for minors with gender dysphoria. 



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