Washington Post by Kim Bellware, Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Timothy Bella and Ben Brasch 12/21/2023
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) tried to compel a Seattle hospital to hand over information about gender-affirming treatment Texas youths may have received across state lines, according to court filings, signaling an escalation of his office’s attempts to crack down on Texans’ ability to access such health care.
The Seattle Children’s Hospital requested a Texas judge nullify, or at least rein in, Paxton’s demands, arguing that his office lacks the jurisdiction over the Washington state hospital. In filings this month, the hospital said Paxton’s queries — made under the guise of an investigation by the AG’s consumer protection division — were “sham requests.”
Paxton’s office did not respond to request for comment about the hospital’s filing Thursday.
A spokesperson for Seattle Children’s Hospital declined to comment on the specifics of its legal action. In a statement, the spokesperson said the hospital complies with the law for all heath-care services and “took legal action to protect private patient information related to gender-affirming care services at our organization sought by the Texas Attorney General.”
Conservative lawmakers have driven efforts in recent years to criminalize gender-affirming care with laws similar to ones that restrict abortion access by creating legal liability for health-care providers and the in-state portion of people’s travel for out-of-state care.
Paxton has been at the vanguard of such efforts. Last year, his office investigated clinics in Austin, Dallas and Houston for providing gender-affirming care, leading them to close or stop offering the services. Paxton’s office also requested records from the Texas Department of Public Safety for those who had changed their sex on their driver’s licenses.
Paxton’s legal battle with Seattle Children’s Hospital marks a rare instance of conservative officials reaching the state’s long arm beyond their own borders.
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