Seattle Children's Hospital is digging in its heels against the Texas Office of the Attorney General (OAG) with a lawsuit filed on December 7th, reported KXAN. The legal battle amplifies ongoing tensions surrounding gender-affirming care, as the Texas OAG demanded documents on the hospital's gender transition policies and treatments given to Texas minors. Washington's Shield Law, however, braces up Seattle Children's Hospital, asserting that it is walled off from compliance with out-of-state laws that would restrict or penalize gender-affirming healthcare.
According to the documents, the OAG's requests strongly aimed to uncover any supposed misrepresentations by Seattle Children in their gender transitioning and reassignment treatments. The OAG is investigating allegations of violations under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices-Consumer Protection Act. Despite these demands and the ominous threat to slap Seattle Children's Hospital with a misdemeanor and a fine of up to $5,000 or a year in jail, the hospital counters with a claim that they haven't as much sold a bandaid in Texas, let alone provided gender-affirming care, as per Becker's Hospital Review.
In affidavits, hospital officials have also pointedly noted that they don't have property, don't maintain accounts, and lack any employees offering gender-affirming care within Texas boundaries. "Seattle Children's complies with the law for all healthcare services provided," a hospital spokesperson said, as reported by KXAN.
Seattle Children's Hospital insists their lawsuit is a shield to protect patient confidentiality and to defy any demands that overstep the mark, specifically Texas' SB 14, a law that seems to have blatantly sought to extend its tendrils into the healthcare practices of another state. Attorneys for the hospital argue this move by the OAG is a stark overreach, improperly attempting to enforce Texas legislation on out-of-state medical care.
