A Dallas doctor says she’s been instructed to deny any new requests for pediatric gender-affirming medical care. So, she’s taking her employer to court.
Dr. Ximena Lopez helped launch the GENECIS Clinic at Children’s Medical Center seven years ago. It gives transgender kids access to puberty blockers and hormone therapy. Governor Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton say such medical treatment is child abuse, and have ordered CPS to investigate. That order is now being challenged in court.
A petition was filed on Wednesday on behalf of Dr. Lopez, accusing UT Southwestern of abruptly cutting off care to new patients and violating its own non-discrimination policy. In addition to that, Dr. Lopez says the medical center is preventing her from using her independent medical judgment.
In the petition, Dr. Lopez asks: "Who is dictating this illegal policy and why?"
She's seeking depositions and documents, including emails and texts from the presidents of UTSW Medical Center and Children’s Medical Center Dallas.
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According to UT Southwestern, existing patients are still being treated. New pediatric patients seeking gender-affirming care are being referred to an outside practice.
A spokesperson issued this statement:
UT Southwestern physicians provide a wide variety of clinical services for both adult and pediatric populations including those who identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community.
- Care for transgender adult patients, including hormone therapy and some surgical procedures, is provided principally through clinics and hospitals operated by UT Southwestern. UT Southwestern physicians provide pediatric care at Children’s Health facilities through our affiliation agreement. This includes care for transgender pediatric patients and specifically for those families seeking care for potential gender dysphoria.
- GENECIS was never a stand-alone clinic and was not “closed” as has been misreported in the media. Effective November 18, 2021, services comprising pediatric endocrinology, psychiatry, and adolescent and young adult care started being managed through each specialty department. Since that time, this care is coordinated through these departmentally based pediatric clinics much as our longstanding practice for our adult patients.
- For existing patients, there has been no change in the care provided.
- New patients continue to be accepted for evaluation and treatment and they too receive gender affirming care which was previously provided under the “brand” GENESIS, including what is commonly recognized as the cornerstone of that care – appropriate psychological and counseling care – with one exception.
- 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 hormone therapy typically used for suppression of puberty for the diagnosis of gender dysphoria is not currently approved by the FDA for this purpose and is not offered to new pediatric patients for this diagnosis. Current patients who had already been begun on these treatments continue to receive them as before to ensure continuity of care.
As an institution of higher education authorized and organized under Texas law, UT Southwestern is a state agency and does not take positions on political issues and complies with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations.
UTSW does not comment on pending litigation.
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.
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