Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston is set to establish a detransition clinic as part of a $10 million settlement with the Texas Attorney General’s Office. The settlement stems from a 2023 investigation into the hospital’s practices regarding pediatric gender treatments. The clinic, which is expected to be operational within 90 days of the settlement’s effective date, will provide services for individuals seeking to reverse previous gender treatments.
Settlement Details
The settlement, announced on May 15, requires Texas Children’s to not only create the detransition clinic but also to maintain a list of potential patients who have received or are seeking pediatric gender treatments. This list, referred to as the “Potential GAC Patient List,” must comply with state and federal laws, and the hospital has emphasized its commitment to patient privacy under HIPAA regulations.
In addition to the clinic, the hospital must remove all press releases related to gender transition services from its website and create a dedicated webpage for the detransition clinic, including a donation page for those wishing to support its efforts. The clinic will offer a range of services, including endocrinology, surgery, primary care, fertility counseling, psychiatry, and psychotherapy.
Background and Implications
The settlement follows the passage of Senate Bill 14 in 2023, which prohibits transgender minors from receiving puberty blockers and hormone therapies in Texas. The agreement also involves the permanent revocation of medical privileges for five doctors associated with the hospital, three current and two former.
Texas Children’s Hospital has stated that the services required by the settlement are already part of its offerings and that the detransition clinic will formalize these services. The hospital has expressed its desire to move past what it describes as a period “wrought with falsehoods and distractions.”
A 2024 study by Harvard University found that less than 1% of minors are transgender and have received puberty blockers or hormone treatments, highlighting the rarity of such cases.
Original reporting: Texas Tribune (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
