A Texas doctor is suing the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center after the Children's Medical Center Dallas ordered that her clinic cease giving children puberty blockers or hormone therapy.
A lawsuit was filed on Wednesday on behalf of Dr. Ximena Lopez a pediatric endocrinologist at Children’s Health and Associate Professor at UTSW Medical Center, according to NBC 5 DFW.
It claims that UTSW Medical Center abruptly cut off the services in November of 2021, and that halting this care violates the university’s non-discrimination policy, and prevents her from using "independent medical judgment to provide gender-affirming care to specific patients solely on the grounds of the patient’s gender identity."
"Someone, some entity, or some office is illegally attempting to interfere with or control Dr. Lopez's independent medical judgment," the petition states.
Lopez’s clinic, GENECIS, opened in 2015, and has been offering treatments and help to children and teens with gender dysphoria.
A UTSW Medical Center spokesperson denied Lopez’s claims that the center is discriminating against patients on the basis of gender identity.
"UT Southwestern is committed to providing equal opportunities to all members of the campus community and to maintaining an environment that is free from unlawful discrimination, harassment and retaliation. In accordance with the Board of Regents' Rules and Regulations, UT System policy, and applicable federal and state law, no individual will be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination in UT Southwestern services, programs, and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability, genetic information, protected veteran status, citizenship status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression," a statement to NBC 5 DFW read.
A UTSW Medical Center spokesperson told the outlet last week that the clinic is still evaluating and treating new patients, with the exception of puberty blockers and hormone replacement therapy.
"Those new patients and their families seeking puberty blockers and hormone replacement therapy after diagnosis of gender dysphoria are now referred to an outside practice for this treatment," the statement said.
They said that the decision to cease this treatment at the clinic came based on a variety of factors, including concerns regarding the long-term effects of the treatment on children.
"The decision to cease offering puberty blockers and hormone therapy to new pediatric patients was based on a variety of factors, including growing concern in the medical community about our limited understanding of the long-term effects – both psychological and physical – on children who receive this treatment," the statement read.
"We considered that there have not been controlled trials that have clearly delineated the effectiveness and safety of these treatments. According to the scientific journal Transgender Health, as of 2021: No medications carry an FDA indication for use in youth with gender dysphoria. Media attention and political and scientific controversy, as well as UT Southwestern’s status as a state agency, were considered in the months leading up to these joint decisions. UT Southwestern physicians provide pediatric care at Children’s Health facilities through our affiliation agreement," it added.
The lawsuit comes as Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered the state’s Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate instances of transgender children undergoing "a wide variety of elective procedures for gender transitioning."
The order cited a legal opinion from the state’s Attorney General Ken Paxton, who determined that transgender prosecution on children constitutes as child abuse.
According to Fox News, a judge has granted a temporary restraining order blocking the policy.
Doctors have warned against the use of hormone treatments that have not been approved for the use of gender dysphoria by the Food and Drug Administration.
Most hormone treatments "are only FDA approved as puberty blockers in children for the purpose of treating central precocious puberty and not for gender dysphoria," Dr. Michael Laidlaw, a California endocrinologist, told Fox News late last year.
"Central precocious puberty is a medical condition in which a child starts puberty at an abnormally young age, say age 4," Laidlaw explained. "Medications like Supprelin LA are used to stop this abnormal puberty. Then once the child reaches a typical age for puberty (say age 11 or 12), the medication is stopped, and then normal puberty will resume."
"The off-label use of these medications for gender dysphoria is completely different," the endocrinologist added. "In this case the healthy child has already begun normal puberty. But then the medication is given to block normal puberty. Blocking normal puberty has numerous unhealthy side effects including loss of normal bone development, interference with normal brain and social development, and importantly causes infertility and sexual dysfunction. Many of these effects will be irreversible."
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