Lawmakers in the Texas Senate voted to remove a “grandfather clause” from a proposed child gender mutilation ban that would have exempted children receiving puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones before June 3.
The proposed ban, Senate Bill 14 by State Sen. Donna Campbell (R–New Braunfels), was amended last week to grandfather in children who are already receiving cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers.
Texas GOP Chairman Matt Rinaldi described the grandfather clause as “abandoning every child currently being abused.”
The chamber gave initial approval to the bill on a party-line vote of 19-12 on Wednesday, before Campbell requested to reconsider the bill Monday.
Senators voted 19-11 along party lines to approve the reconsideration of the amendment and then its removal from the legislation.
SB 14 will prohibit medical providers from performing “gender transition” surgeries or prescribing cross-sex hormones or puberty blockers to children under the age of 18 who are suffering from gender dysphoria. It would also require the Texas Medical Board to strip the license of any physician who provides these treatments, and would prohibit the use of public funds for these procedures or drugs.
The bill requires one more vote in the Senate before it moves to the House for consideration.
State Rep. Tom Oliverson (R-Cypress), the author of the identical House Bill 1686, has expressed support for the original grandfather clause stating “the correct course of action was to allow treatment to continue in these limited cases.”