Last week, Gov. Abbott said the he intends to sign Texas Senate Bill 14 into law. If it comes into effect, SB14 will bar anyone under the age of 18 from receiving gender-affirming medical care in Texas—blocking access to surgeries, hormone replacement therapies and puberty blockers. In addition, it would mandate that any minors currently being treated with hormones or puberty blockers be “weaned off” of them. Proponents of the bill argue that by blocking teens from accessing transgender health care, they’re fulfilling their duty to protect our state’s children. This is simply not the case. 

Transgender teens are one of the groups most at risk for suicide attempts in the entire state. According to a recent study by the Trevor Project, a nonprofit organization that provides support to LGBT youth, 51% of all nonbinary and transgender people ages 18 and under had seriously contemplated suicide. One in five had made an attempt on their own life in the last year. Those receiving gender-affirming hormone treatment reduced their odds of experiencing depression and of a past-year suicide attempt by 40%.

 As Republican lawmakers tout keeping our youth safe from dangerous and inhumane medical procedures, they fail to recognize that denying access can and will do more harm than good. Gender-affirming care is backed by almost every major medical association in the United States—the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, and the Endocrine Society among them—all support these treatments as an evidence-backed method to improve the lives of transgender minors.

Undergoing treatment for gender transition in Texas is no easy process as it is. Many providers require that patients bring in approval letters from their psychologist, and ultimately the decision on whether or not they’re allowed to undergo processes like hormone replacement therapy is ultimately up to the parents and the discretion of the doctors. It is not, as some may want you to believe, a decision that angsty teenagers make on a whim and soon come to regret. 

Rather than banning gender-affirming care as a hot-button issue to garner votes, we need to look at the facts and recognize that a ban won’t do anybody any good. Parents of gender non-conforming teens are losing their right to decide what is best for their child—Gov. Abbott himself has stated parents’ rights are something we as Texans strongly value. Children are losing access to potentially lifesaving care. As the state stands divided, we must put our partisan politics aside and focus on what’s important: keeping kids safe and healthy.