Gregory Wayne Abbott (born November 13, 1957) is an American attorney who has served as the 48th governor of Texas since January 20, 2015. A member of the Republican Party, Abbott previously served as the 50th attorney general of Texas from 2002 to 2015. He is the third governor of any U.S. state to permanently use a wheelchair. He is also the first disabled governor in Texas history.
More Than One-Third of Trans Kids Are At Risk Of Losing Gender-Affirming Care
study conducted by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law has revealed the staggering impact the swath of new and proposed laws banning trans youth from receiving gender-confirming medical care will have if passed.
Specifically, more than one-third of trans youth in America — 58,200 of an estimated 150,000 kids aged 13 to 17 — are currently at risk of losing access to life-saving care.As of March 2022, 15 states have either banned access to or are considering laws that would restrict or prevent trans and non-binary youths from receiving gender-affirming care.In 2021, the Arkansas legislature put a ban in place on gender-affirming care impacting nearly 1,500 trans youths in the state.
The ACLU has launched a legal challenge against that ban. In February 2022, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued an order that both restricted access to gender-affirming care for trans children and classified it as “child abuse.” The move potentially impacts as many as 13,800 trans youths in Texas and targets the parents of trans children who support them with gender-affirming medical care.
In March, a Texas judge ordered a halt to investigating parents, which is expected to stand at least until an additional trial over the law takes place in July.
