Dr. Hector Granados, one of El Paso’s only pediatric endocrinologists, is no longer staring down a state lawsuit after the Texas attorney general’s office pulled the plug on its case, but families and local clinics say the damage from months of litigation and a statewide ban on gender-affirming care is already here. Patients who rely on Granados for diabetes and other chronic conditions say the long legal fight left them anxious about whether their care would continue without interruption.
Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office quietly withdrew the lawsuit in September after what it described as a review that found “no legal violations,” according to the AP News. The suit, filed last October, had accused Granados of prescribing puberty blockers and hormones to minors. Granados and his attorney say he stopped offering gender-affirming treatments once the law changed and that the state examined his records under a protective order.
Granados has been a regional specialist for years. He helped open a gender-health clinic at Texas Tech Health El Paso and later built a private practice that draws patients from far-west Texas into southern New Mexico, El Paso Matters reports. He is one of only two pediatric endocrinologists in El Paso County, and local parents say losing access to even a single specialist would mean long drives or months-long waits for routine care.
Paxton’s Statewide Push And Its Local Fallout
The Granados lawsuit was one of several cases Paxton filed to enforce Senate Bill 14, and his office’s strategy has already reshaped some medical careers. In October, a Dallas-area doctor named in Paxton’s suits surrendered her Texas medical license. Paxton’s newsroom labeled the surrender “a major victory” and described some doctors as “disturbed left-wing activists” in a news release, according to The Office of the Attorney General. The agency has continued to seek civil penalties and license actions even as some lawsuits remain tied up in court.
Patients Say The Damage Is Already Done
Families in El Paso told reporters they have already felt the fallout. One teenager who previously saw Granados now gets hormone replacement care from a New Mexico physician after local options narrowed, El Paso Matters found. Civil-rights advocates caution that even withdrawn lawsuits damage trust and capacity. A staff attorney with the ACLU told the AP News that the litigation takes “an enormous toll” on clinicians and the communities that rely on them.
What The Law Authorizes
Senate Bill 14, signed by Gov. Greg Abbott in June 2023 and effective Sept. 1, 2023, bars a range of gender-affirming medical interventions for minors and creates administrative paths to revoke licenses or impose penalties on providers. The enrolled bill text spells out what care is prohibited and the state’s enforcement authority; the Texas Legislature outlines the statutory scheme.
Medical groups say pubertal suppression is considered reversible under clinical guidance and emphasize careful, individualized evaluation. The Endocrine Society notes that pubertal suppression can be reversible when stopped and is recommended only with specialist oversight.
What’s Next For El Paso
Local providers and public-health leaders warn that legal pressure and political vitriol have already worsened specialty shortages in the borderland. Granados’ attorney said the doctor is relieved the suit was dropped, and Granados told The Texas Tribune that he wished the attorney general’s office had allowed him to show he stopped providing gender-affirming care before the ban took effect, adding that defending himself in court “always puts a toll on you and how you feel.”
