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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton plans to halt an effort to seize information on transgender patients from a Seattle children's hospital, according to a proposed court settlement announced Monday by Paxton's office. , his office announced Monday.
Seattle Children's Hospital officials said in an affidavit that the facility does not have the staff to treat transgender children in Texas or as far away as Washington.
As part of the settlement, the hospital will have its license to operate in Texas revoked, but it was not immediately clear as of Monday what purpose the license was used for.
The agreement comes amid a standoff between Paxton and the hospital over an investigation launched by the attorney general in November, two months after a new Texas law banned the use of puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender youth. did.
Seattle Children's Hospital was one of at least two clinics to receive such requests from Paxton's office. The requests for information come as part of recent state and local legal maneuvering by the Texas conservative movement to test how far it can extend abortion and gender transition regulations across state lines.
Texas lawmakers are joining doctors and advocates who say gender-affirming care is lifesaving for transgender youth, who face higher rates of suicide attempts and mental health issues than their cisgender peers. Despite opposition, it passed a ban on child transition-related care.
Republicans in Texas have also sought in recent years to restrict transgender youth from playing on sports teams that match their gender identity and limit the bathrooms transgender people can use in public places.
Paxton's office is also fighting a legal battle over whether the state can launch child abuse investigations into parents who provided transition-related care to their children before the state's new ban took effect.
The attorney general's office has ordered the Washington-based health system to provide transition-related care after Seattle Children's allegedly provided puberty-suppressing drugs and hormone therapy to teenagers in Texas. Sent investigative subpoenas requesting patient records of Texans who received them.
The AG said in a court filing that it is investigating the hospital for possible violations of the Texas False Transactions Act.
Last week's agreement indicates that the hospital and Paxton “satisfactorily compromised and resolved all outstanding issues,” according to the agreement signed by a Travis County judge.
Paxton sent a nearly identical request to a Georgia-based telehealth clinic, which stopped serving Texas youth after transition-related care was banned in September. .
William Melhad contributed to this story.
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