Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 1, 2023 / 14:50 pm
In a last-minute decision, the Texas Supreme Court allowed a state law to go into effect that prohibits doctors from performing sex change surgeries on children or prescribing them drugs to facilitate a sex change.
The law was allowed to go into effect as scheduled on Friday, Sept. 1, after the state’s highest court refused to grant a request from the Texas American Civil Liberties Union and other groups for emergency temporary relief. The coalition had asked the court to block the implementation of the law while a lawsuit over its constitutionality is ongoing.
With this decision, the Texas Supreme Court overruled a decision from the lower Travis County District Court, which would have prevented the law from going into effect. The Supreme Court did not provide a written reasoning for its decision to overrule the district court and allow the law to go into effect.
The ACLU of Texas expressed frustration over the Texas Supreme Court’s ruling. In a joint statement with other organizations involved with the lawsuit, the ACLU said it looks forward to continuing the fight.