Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a legal opinion on March 2 declaring that state-licensed mental health professionals—including therapists, counselors, and social workers—are barred under Senate Bill 14 from facilitating or endorsing gender-transitioning medical treatments for minors. The opinion extends a 2023 Texas law banning puberty blockers, hormone therapies, and surgeries for transgender youth to include mental health providers who Paxton characterizes as “gatekeepers” initiating such interventions.
Senate Bill 14, signed by Governor Greg Abbott in June 2023, originally prohibited physicians from administering gender-related medical treatments to minors. The law faced immediate legal challenges from parents and advocacy groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas. While a lower court temporarily blocked the law, the Texas Supreme Court upheld it in 2024, allowing enforcement to proceed. Paxton’s opinion, requested by the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council, clarifies that SB 14’s definition of “health care provider” includes mental health professionals, despite the original law not explicitly mentioning counseling or therapy.
Paxton stated that “the multidisciplinary path to medically transitioning children often starts with mental ‘health care,’” and wrote that activists use therapy to “confuse children about their gender.” Mental health providers found in violation of the interpretation risk losing their licenses and Medicaid funding.
Critics argue the opinion will deter mental health providers from treating transgender youth, a population with elevated risk of depression and suicide. Johnathan Gooch of Equality Texas warned that the policy will make “access to mental health care more complicated for some of the most marginalized people in our state.” Andrea Segovia of the Transgender Education Network of Texas noted that legislators had previously assured SB 14 would not impact mental health services but said “providers may drop trans clients out of fear.” While Paxton’s opinion is not legally binding, state agencies may adopt it as policy. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to weigh in on similar restrictions in Tennessee.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.naturalnews.com/2026-03-05-paxton-expands-ban-gender-treatments-for-minors.html