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District attorneys representing five of Texas' largest counties said they will not treat gender-affirming procedures for transgender youth as "child abuse," defying a push by the state's attorney general and governor to target the medical treatments that they argue constitutes "an egregious invasion of privacy," reports USA Today. In the five counties represented by the DAs, criminal prosecutions won't be allowed to go forward against parents of trans youth who have received gender-affirming care.

Abbott's order, which comes after the state legislature failed to pass bills that would ban gender-affirming care, has created a confusing and murky legal question because it is based on an attorney general's legal opinion, which does not carry the weight of law. Despite the DAs' statement, the state's child welfare agency will still be free to follow Abbott's directive and launch investigations related to gender-affirming care. But the agency would need to prove its case to a judge who is not bound by the directives.