The recent decision by Attorney General Ken Paxton and Governor Greg Abbott of Texas to classify the care of transgender children as child abuse is illegal, immoral and unethical. Transgender children and their families deserve access to health care without fear of prosecution from the state. 

The threat of prosecuting parents, teachers, behavioral health specialists, and other health care workers for providing care to these children, or failing to report these children to the state, places an undue burden on an already stressed out healthcare system. Our duty is to provide high quality care for all children, regardless of gender, race, religion, socioeconomic status, or any other factors. This directive conflicts directly with our mission to provide care. 

I am calling on all healthcare workers to pledge to provide high quality care to transgender children in a safe, non-threatening environment free of harassment or the threat of reporting to the state. I am calling on all those with political power to pressure the Governor and Attorney General to revoke this hateful directive, and make Texas safe for all children and their families. Our society will be judged based on how we treat our most vulnerable citizens, and I hope that we are judged well in the future.