Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit on Thursday against a Dallas pediatrician, accusing her of administering gender transition treatments to minors in violation of a 2023 state law. This lawsuit marks the state's first enforcement action under the new legislation.
The pediatrician, Dr. May C. Lau, serves as an associate professor in the pediatrics department at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. She also treats young patients at Children's Health in Dallas, which is affiliated with UT Southwestern. Dr. Lau previously worked at a clinic for transgender adolescents that was closed in 2021 due to pressure from Texas officials.
Neither Dr. Lau nor the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center responded to requests for comment. However, Children's Health stated that it complies with all state healthcare laws, emphasizing that the health and well-being of patients is their top priority.
Since 2021, Texas has joined 25 other states in enacting partial or total bans on youth gender-transition care. A representative from the A.C.L.U. noted that she was not aware of other states taking similar enforcement actions. The Texas law was upheld as constitutional by the Texas Supreme Court in June.
The law prohibits healthcare workers from affirming a child's perception of their gender if it does not align with their biological sex. Physicians who provide puberty blockers and hormone therapies for gender transition may face revocation of their medical licenses, although they can administer similar treatments for other medical reasons.
The lawsuit alleges that Dr. Lau provided hormone replacement therapy to 21 minors between October 2023 and August by allegedly falsifying medical records, prescriptions, and billing documents to disguise the purpose of the testosterone prescriptions.
The lawsuit characterizes Dr. Lau as a "scofflaw" who jeopardizes the health and safety of minors. The attorney general is seeking an injunction against her and a monetary judgment of $10,000 for each violation.
Harper Seldin, a staff attorney for the A.C.L.U., stated that doctors should not fear government targeting when making medical decisions. He expressed hope that the U.S. Supreme Court would recognize such actions as overreach, as the court is expected to hear a challenge to a similar law in Tennessee banning certain medical treatments for transgender minors, although arguments have not yet been scheduled.