A court in Texas has blocked a state investigation into the parents of a transgender teen.

The Travis County District Court granted a temporary restraining order on Wednesday, blocking the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) from investigating the parents of a transgender minor who is undergoing gender-affirming care.

The parents filed a lawsuit after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, defined in a written opinion that gender-affirming care for minors is “child abuse” under state law.

“There is no doubt that these procedures are ‘abuse’ under Texas law, and thus must be halted,” said Paxton. “The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) has a responsibility to act accordingly. I’ll do everything I can to protect against those who take advantage of and harm young Texans.”

Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, directed DFPS to follow Paxton's legal opinion. The agency announced that it would follow the governor's directive.

The parents said in their lawsuit that a DFPS investigator had already contacted them.

The parents are represented by the ACLU of Texas, ACLU, and LGBTQ legal group Lambda Legal.

“This is a critical victory and an important first step in stopping these egregious and illegal actions from Texas officials. We are relieved for our plaintiffs and ready to keep fighting to stop the governor, commissioner, and DFPS from inflicting further harm on trans people and their families and communities across Texas,” said Chase Strangio, deputy director for trans justice with the ACLU LGBTQ & HIV Project.“Transgender youth in Texas should be able to access lifesaving, medically necessary care with the support of their families and doctors. Attempts to cut off transgender adolescents from care will not make them any less trans but it will make them less likely to grow up at all.”

While the court's order is limited to the plaintiffs named in the lawsuit, the court will hear arguments on whether to block the governor's directive more broadly on Friday, March 11.

It should be noted that gender reassignment surgery is widely restricted to adults over 18.