Texas

Texas Supreme Court upholds state ban on gender transition treatment for minors

Published

2 days ago

June 29, 2024

Texas Supreme Court upholds state ban on gender transition treatment for minors

The Texas Supreme Court on Friday upheld the state’s ban on gender transition treatment for children, allowing the Lone Star State to remain one of at least 25 states, and the largest, with restrictions on such treatment.

The law, which has been in effect since Sept. 1, 2023, prohibits children under the age of 18 from accessing hormone therapy, puberty blockers and gender transition surgery. Children who were already on those medications were required to taper off their use of the drugs. The law includes exemptions for children in early puberty or who have “a medically verifiable genetic disorder of sex development.”

The lawsuit that challenged the law argued it harms transgender teenagers who are barred from receiving gender transition treatment recommended by their physicians and parents, according to The Associated Press.

The court, comprised of all Republicans, handed down its ruling in an 8-1 decision.

JUDGE RULES MONTANA LAW DEFINING SEX AS ONLY MALE OR FEMALE IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL

The Texas Supreme Court on Friday upheld the state’s ban on gender transition treatment for children. (AP)

“We conclude the Legislature made a permissible, rational policy choice to limit the types of available medical procedures for children, particularly in light of the relative nascency of both gender dysphoria and its various modes of treatment and the Legislature’s express constitutional authority to regulate the practice of medicine,” Justice Rebeca Aizpuru Huddle wrote.

The lone dissenting judge said the court was giving the state’s government the ability to “legislate away fundamental parental rights.”

“The State’s categorical statutory prohibition prevents these parents, and many others, from developing individualized treatment plans for their children in consultation with their physicians, even the children for whom treatment could be lifesaving,” Justice Debra Lehrmann wrote. “The law is not only cruel — it is unconstitutional.”

A lower court had ruled the law unconstitutional, but it was permitted to take effect during the state Supreme Court’s consideration of the case.

Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton tweeted after the ruling that his office “will use every tool at our disposal to ensure that doctors and medical institutions follow the law.”

The law prohibits children under the age of 18 from accessing hormone therapy, puberty blockers and gender transition surgery. (Fox News )

The groups who filed the lawsuit criticized the ruling as harmful to transgender children and their families.

“It is impossible to overstate the devastating impact of this ruling on Texas transgender youth and the families that love and support them,” Karen Loewy, senior counsel and director of Constitutional Law Practice at Lambda Legal, which was one of the groups that sued the state on behalf of doctors and families, told The Associated Press.

ACLU of Texas’ policy and advocacy strategist for LGBTQIA+ rights, Ash Hall, said the government should not “deprive trans youth of the health care that they need to survive and thrive,” adding that “Texas politicians’ obsession with attacking trans kids and their families is needlessly cruel.”

Gender transition treatment for transgender children is supported by major medical organizations, including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychiatric Association and the Endocrine Society.

BRAGG’S OFFICE FACES BAR COMPLAINT ALLEGING DISCRIMINATION IN ‘DIVERSITY’ HIRING PRACTICES

One justice dismissed the medical groups’ position as irrelevant to whether the Texas law is constitutional.

“The fact that expert witnesses or influential interest groups like the American Psychiatric Association disagree with the Legislature’s judgment is entirely irrelevant to the constitutional question,” Justice James Blacklock wrote in a concurring opinion. “The Texas Constitution authorizes the Legislature to regulate ‘practitioners of medicine.’”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

In a lower court hearing, several doctors who treat transgender children testified that patients could face deteriorating mental health that could potentially lead to suicide if they are denied gender transition treatment.

Texas officials said the law was needed to protect children and pointed to several other restrictions for minors intended to keep them safe, including when it comes to tattoos, alcohol, tobacco and certain over-the-counter drugs.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source link

Texas

A Letter to Texas and Oklahoma: Goodbye and Good Luck

Published

37 mins ago

July 1, 2024

Press Room

A Letter to Texas and Oklahoma: Goodbye and Good Luck

Monday, July 1, 2024, is going to end up being a day to remember in Big 12 history. It is the day that Texas and Oklahoma are officially out of the Big 12 and into the SEC. Is it the biggest day in Big 12 history? Only time will tell.

While Monday is a huge day for everyone involved, I can’t help but go back to Big 12 media days three years ago. Former Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby cracked a joke about being glad he didn’t have to answer realignment questions and said that everything was fine within the conference.

Less than two weeks after that statement, the news heard around the world broke. Texas and Oklahoma were heading to the SEC after the 2024 season. Of course, we all knew that they would get out earlier, and they did. Instead of having to wait another four years, they got out in three after forking up millions of dollars.

I may not be a true Big 12 historian, but I am not stupid enough to realize what these two schools have done for the conference. Like it or not, Oklahoma and Texas have combined for 18 Big 12 titles in the last 25 years. Fourteen of those titles have come from the Sooners, while the Longhorns have had four. They have brought name recognition to the conference along with a pair of national titles and countless title game appearances.

The success they have had here (especially Oklahoma) has been off the charts. The Sooners had a run of six Big 12 titles in a row before the streak ended in 2021. And as someone who has covered the conference since 2016, I have seen plenty of championships won by Oklahoma. In fact, I have covered just two conference championship games that haven’t featured either Oklahoma or Texas since the game was brought back in 2017.

Both schools have had their fair share of superstars over the years. Jason White, Sam Bradford, Baker Mayfield, and Kyler Murray all won Heisman trophies while playing in the Big 12, while Texas has had a few close calls between Vince Young and Colt McCoy. I could go on and on about all the greats that have suited up for these two since the conference came together in 1996, but that would take up too much time here.

Whether or not you will be shedding a tear or jumping for joy is up to you, but there is no doubt in my mind that the conference will not be the same without these two schools. The SEC is saying that it’s a new era, and you know what? It’s also a new era in the Big 12, too.

We are bringing in four new schools and have brought in a total of eight new schools in the last couple of years. Without Texas or Oklahoma leaving, I am not sure if that would have happened, but I am glad it did. Am I going to miss that first Saturday in October at the Cotton Bowl? Sure, but I am also excited to see what the future holds in the Big 12 because it is going to be the most exciting football conference in America from top to bottom. So goodbye, Texas and Oklahoma.

Maybe we will meet again, but until then, enjoy the SEC. Sometimes, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

Source link

Texas

North Texas SC Defeats Real Monarchs 2-1 | North Texas SC

Published

8 hours ago

July 1, 2024

Press Room

North Texas SC Defeats Real Monarchs 2-1 | North Texas SC

Herriman, Utah (June 30, 2024) – North Texas SC (8-1-5, 33 points) obtained its fifth road win of the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season after defeating Real Monarchs (4-9-1, 14 points) 2-1 from Zions Bank Stadium. Second half goals from Enes Sali and Isaiah Parker sealed the comeback win for North Texas.

FIRST WIN IN THE GARBINI ERA
Interim head coach Michel Garbini earned his first win since being appointed interim head coach on June 11. Garbini made his North Texas SC interim head coach debut on June 22 in North Texas’ 3-3 draw versus Austin FC II.

NORTH TEXAS HEAT
With tonight’s 2-1 win over Real Monarchs on the road, North Texas SC is on a six-game unbeaten streak (5-0-1). The team has scored 16 goals and conceded only six in the last six matches since starting the unbeaten run.

THREE IN A ROW
Forward Enes Sali scored his fifth goal of the season in the 63rd minute of the match via a penalty kick. Sali is the first North Texas SC player to score in three consecutive matches this season. Two of the three goals scored were away from home.

PARKER FLYING DOWN THE WING
FC Dallas 2022 SuperDraft Pick Isaiah Parker netted his first goal of the 2024 season. Parker’s last goal for North Texas was on September 3, 2022, against MNUFC2 in a 2-1 win. He became the eighth different goal scorer for North Texas SC this season.

JUNE RECORD
North Texas SC finished the month of June unbeaten with a 3-0-1 record. The three wins came on the road and the draw at home. North Texas holds an all-time record of 11-5-4 when playing in June since 2019.

UP NEXT: KICKING JULY OFF BY HOSTING THE TWOSIES
North Texas SC hosts MNUFC2 on Wednesday, July 3, at Choctaw Stadium. The match kicks off at 7:45PM CT and will be available to watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

Source link

Texas

Reports: Texas A&M baseball hiring Washington head coach Jason Kelly as next pitching coach

Published

15 hours ago

June 30, 2024

Press Room

Reports: Texas A&M baseball hiring Washington head coach Jason Kelly as next pitching coach

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – Texas A&M baseball is set to hire Washington head coach Jason Kelly as its next pitching coach, as first reported by The Eagle.

Kelly’s hire comes hours after former pitching coach Michael Earley signed to become the Aggies’ head coach.

Other reports are out that A&M is targeting Texas pitching coach Caleb Longley to join the staff.

I would expect former @TexasBaseball assistant Caleb Longley to end up on Michael Earley’s staff at @AggieBaseball. Another spot is expected to be a Power 5 head coach.
— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) June 30, 2024
Advertisement

Kelly spent the past two years as the head coach for the Huskies after seven seasons as the Huskies’ pitching coach.

In Kelly’s first season at the helm of the UW program, Washington had a 17-12 league record was good for third in the standings. The Huskies garnered a 35-20 overall record, earning the 12th NCAA Regional bid in program-history. The 35 wins were the second most by a first-year head coach for the Huskies.

Six players from Kelly’s inaugural UW squad were selected in the 2023 MLB Draft, the second time Washington has had at least five players drafted since 2014. Kiefer Lord, taken 86th overall by the Baltimore Orioles, became the highest-drafted Husky since 2015. Case Matter (Texas Rangers), Stu Flesland III (Colorado Rockies), Johnny Tincher (Cleveland Guardians), Will Simpson (Oakland Athletics) and Coby Morales (New York Yankees) also heard their names called.

In 2024, Washington had a 19-31-1 record and missed the postseason.

Source link