Texas legislators should protect children and youths from being rushed into life-altering “transgender” medical procedures, Sen. Ted Cruz tweeted Wednesday.

“A 7-year-old child doesn’t have the maturity to make profound decisions like this,” Cruz said, referring to the controversy over James Younger, the Texas boy who is being encouraged by his mother to declare himself as “transgender.”

“The state of Texas should protect this child’s right to choose—as an informed, mature person—and not be used as a pawn in a left-wing political agenda,” he said.

Texas law was written before the sudden emergence of the claim children can change their sex. So parents have the authority to encourage their children to live as members of the opposite sex, and also to begin medical treatments at an early age — even though many of the medical procedures can be crippling and cannot be reversed by the child when he or she becomes an adult.

A 7-year-old child doesn't have the maturity to make profound decisions like this. The state of Texas should protect this child's right to choose—as an informed, mature person—and not be used as a pawn in a left-wing political agenda. #ProtectJamesYounger — Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) October 24, 2019

Cruz’s intervention puts him on the side of children — and leaves Democrats in the position of defending child abuse, according to a U.K. left-wing opponent of the transgender ideology:

I really think it was a catastrophic error by American liberals and left wingers to leave the “let’s protect a 7-year-old child from being put on a path to sterility” side to the Republicans https://t.co/cgyMTevnwQ — Helen Joyce (@HJJoyceEcon) October 24, 2019

The federal government sets few rules to protect children and teenagers from abusive parents, teenage fads, or revenue-seeking medical professionals.

Many Democrat-run states have set rules barring mental-health professionals from discouraging children or teenagers from quickly trying to change their unchangeable sex.

A growing number of teenagers and young adults have quietly revesed their claims to be members of the opposite sex. This “detransition” movement is gaining influence, especially in the United Kingdom, which was pushed into the transgender debates several years ago.

The response to my talk today was overwhelming. Thank you. So so much. https://t.co/JsIxhIY8rH — Charlie Evans (@charlie_sci) October 19, 2019