Psaki condemns directive from Abbott labeling sex changes for minors as child abuse

White House press secretary Jen Psaki condemned a letter Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sent to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) Tuesday directing it to investigate reported instances of Texas children being subjected to gender-transitioning procedures that he characterized as abuse.

“Because the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services is responsible for protecting children from abuse, I hereby direct your agency to conduct a prompt and thorough investigation of any reported instances of these abusive procedures in the State of Texas,” Abbott’s letter states. “To protect Texas children from abuse, DFPS and all other state agencies must follow the law as explained in OAG Opinion No. KP-0401.”

As Abbott’s letter explains, it is already against the law to subject children in Texas to a wide variety of elective gender transition surgeries, including those that can cause sterilization, mastectomies or the removal of otherwise healthy body parts. Administration of puberty-blocking drugs and unnatural doses of testosterone or estrogen is also illegal in the state.

Psaki alleged that Abbott’s directive and similar action in Florida and other states are “designed to target and attack the kids who need support the most.”

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“LGBTQI+ students are already vulnerable to bullying and violence just for being themselves,” Psaki said. “This isn’t an isolated action, as evidenced by multiple states pursuing this. We’re seeing Republican leaders take actions to regulate what students can or cannot read, what they can or cannot learn and, most troubling, who they can or cannot be.”

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