DALLAS (AP) 鈥 Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is dropping a request for a Seattle hospital to hand over records regarding gender-affirming treatment potentially given to children from Texas as part of a lawsuit settlement announced Monday.
Seattle Children's Hospital against Paxton's office in December in response to the Republican appearing to go beyond state borders to investigate transgender health care. Paxton, a staunch conservative who has helped drive GOP efforts that target the rights of trans people, sent last year.
The Seattle hospital said in a statement that it had 鈥渟uccessfully fought鈥 the 鈥渙verreaching demands to obtain confidential patient information.鈥 A judge in Austin dismissed the lawsuit Friday, saying the parties had settled their dispute.
Texas is among states that have gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors.
The hospital's lawsuit included a copy of the letter from Paxton鈥檚 office, which among other requests asked the hospital to produce records identifying medication given to children who live in Texas; the number of Texas children who received treatment; and documents that identified the 鈥渟tandard protocol or guidance鈥 used for treatment.
As part of the settlement, according to court records, the parties agreed that Seattle Children鈥檚 Hospital would withdraw its registration to transact business in Texas. But a hospital spokesperson said in a statement that they don't operate health care facilities or provide gender-affirming care in Texas.
In court records, the hospital had previously stated that it had a 鈥渓imited number鈥 of people who work remotely and live in Texas but that none were involved in gender-affirming care. It also said it did not advertise its services in Texas.
鈥淲hen we merely began asking questions, they decided to leave the State of Texas and forfeit the opportunity to do business here," Paxton said in a news release Monday. He said Texas will 鈥渧igorously protect鈥 children from gender-affirming treatment that he called 鈥渄amaging.鈥
The Texas law prevents transgender minors from accessing hormone therapies, puberty blockers and transition surgeries, even though medical experts say such surgical procedures are rarely performed on children.
In Washington, has signed that aims to protects minors seeking gender-affirming care there, part of intended to give refuge to those seeking gender-affirming treatment.
