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 The Austin hearing is part of a pushback against proposals in dozens
of U.S. states to criminalize the provision of gender-affirming
treatment to trans youth.
The American Civil Liberties Union sued Abbott over his directive
for probes that could remove trans children from families and jail
parents who provide them with what he called procedures that
"constitute child abuse."The February directive also called on
doctors, nurses and teachers to report such care or face criminal
penalties.
The ACLU is asking District Court Judge Amy Clark Meachum to impose
a statewide injunction on investigations by the Department of Family
Protective Services (DFPS) into what it terms "medically necessary
gender-affirming care."
Meachum last week temporarily blocked a probe of parents of a
16-year-old transgender girl, saying it would make them the subject
of "an unfounded child abuse investigation."
Opponents of gender-transitioning procedures say minors are too
young to make life altering decisions about their bodies. Advocates
argue the crucial care has been politically weaponized, impacting
the mental health of trans youth who suffer a disproportionately
high rate of suicide.
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 President Joe Biden in his State of the Union
speech said state laws targetting transgender
Americans and their families were "wrong" and
vowed to pass non-discrimination legislation to
protect them.
The DFPS has opened nine child welfare inquiries
subject to Abbott's directive.
Abbott, a Republican running this year for a
third term in office, is named as a defendant in
the court challenge, along with DFPS and its
commissioner, Jaime Masters.
(Reporting by Andrew Hay in Taos, New Mexico;
Editing by Donna Bryson and Stephen Coates)
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