Paxton Sues Another Dallas Doctor for Providing Illegal "Transition" Treatments

For the second time in less than a month, Texas Attorney Gen. Ken Paxton has sued a Dallas doctor for allegedly providing gender-affirming care to minors.

On Friday, Paxton announced the suit, saying in a statement that the doctor has prescribed “gender-transition” drugs to more than a dozen children, a violation of Senate Bill 14, the new state law that prohibits doctors from prescribing such medication to minors.

According to the filing, Dr. M. Brett Cooper, on staff at UT Southwestern and Children’s Medical of Dallas, “is harming the health and safety of Texas children by providing cross-sex hormones to children for the purpose of transitioning their biological sex or affirming their belief that their gender identity or sex is inconsistent with their biological sex.”

As was the case when Paxton filed a similar suit against Dr. May C. Lau on Oct. 17, Cooper is referred to as a “scofflaw” in the filing.

“Texas has prohibited doctors from prescribing these damaging and unfounded ‘gender transition’ drugs to children,” said Paxton in the statement. “These medical professionals cannot willfully ignore the law and endanger the health of young people.” Paxton also alleges that Cooper falsified "medical records, prescriptions, and billing records to intentionally conceal the unlawful conduct."

Gender-affirming care has been endorsed as safe by almost every major American medical organization. In 2021, the American Medical Association wrote a letter to National Governors Association advising against legislation that would prohibit “medically necessary gender transition-related care for minor patients,” stating that such laws would represent “a dangerous intrusion into the practice of medicine.”

SB 14 became law on Sept. 21, 2023. In the past few weeks, Paxton has also filed suit against a doctor in El Paso for allegedly providing “gender transition” treatments to minors. Brad Pritchett, the interim CEO of Equality Texas, views Paxton’s claims as part of a larger effort against the LGBTQ community.

“The campaign against healthcare for trans youth has led to bomb threats against hospitals, release of private medical data, and now several lawsuits against Texas doctors,” he wrote in an email. “Paxton’s obsession with the trans community continues to put people at risk. Ken Paxton is not a doctor, he shouldn’t be dictating medical care for anyone.”