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Seattle Children’s Hospital has taken legal action against the Texas Attorney General’s Office over demands for patient records related to gender-affirming care received by Texas residents. This move comes in response to an increasingly contentious battle over the rights of trans youth to access medical care.
The hospital’s lawsuit, filed in Travis County, Texas, asserts that the Texas Attorney General’s Office requested detailed patient information, including medication prescriptions, diagnoses, and treatment for gender dysphoria for all Texas patients receiving gender-affirming care at the hospital since January 2022. This demand follows the passage of SB 14, a law signed by Governor Greg Abbott earlier this year, which prohibits trans youth from accessing gender-affirming care as minors and revokes the licenses of any health provider offering this care to individuals under 18 years old.
Seattle Children’s Hospital has pushed back against these demands, arguing that the Texas Attorney General’s Office lacks jurisdiction over a Washington state hospital. The hospital has described the requests as “sham,” and it has petitioned a Texas judge to nullify or limit the scope of the demands made by the Attorney General’s office. The hospital maintains that it should not be compelled to disclose patient information to an out-of-state authority.
The legal battle represents an escalation of efforts by the Texas Attorney General’s office to restrict access to gender-affirming care for trans youths. The Seattle hospital’s response, in turn, underscores the growing tension between state authorities and healthcare providers over issues related to the rights and medical treatment of transgender individuals.
The hospital’s legal challenge against the Texas Attorney General’s Office highlights the broader national debate over authorities’ involvement in the healthcare decisions of transgender people, particularly minors. The outcome of this legal confrontation could have significant implications for the rights of trans youth and the ability of healthcare providers to offer gender-affirming care.
It remains to be seen how this legal dispute will unfold, but the actions of Seattle Children’s Hospital signal a firm stance against what it perceives as an overreach by the Texas Attorney General’s Office. As similar debates continue in various parts of the country, the outcomes of these legal challenges will undoubtedly shape the future landscape of healthcare for the transgender community, particularly for young individuals navigating complex healthcare needs and seeking supportive medical interventions.
