Seattle Children’s Hospital Withdraws Business from Texas in Response to Investigation Into “Gender Transition” Treatments for Minors
In a significant development, Seattle Children’s Hospital has decided to stop providing gender-transition procedures and treatments for Texas minors.
This decision comes following a request from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for the hospital to submit records related to gender-affirming treatments administered to minors, as part of an ongoing investigation.
In September 2023, Texas enacted SB 14, a law prohibiting the administration of hormone therapy and surgical interventions aimed at facilitating gender transitions for individuals under the age of 18.
Since then, the Attorney General’s Office has been vigilant in enforcing the law and ensuring that no entity, within or outside of Texas, contributes to its violation.
In November of the previous year, Attorney General Paxton initiated an investigation into Seattle Children’s Hospital’s activities after it was found that the hospital provided gender transition-related medical interventions to Texas minors at their facility in Seattle, Washington.
It was also reported that the hospital was transmitting prescriptions for hormone-disrupting drugs back to patients and pharmacies within Texas borders.
Rather than comply with the Texas Attorney General’s office’s request for documentation and further information regarding these practices, Seattle Children’s chose to pursue legal action against the state.
Despite this, the hospital has maintained its stance on providing gender-affirming surgeries, stating on its website its unique position in offering such surgeries.
“Seattle Children’s is the only pediatric academic medical center with fellowship-trained plastic surgeons who provide gender-affirming surgery in our region — Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho,” the website says. “We treat teens and young adults who are patients of Seattle Children’s Gender Clinic. We also accept patients who are receiving gender-affirming care through providers outside of Seattle Children’s.”
While the hospital claims to only perform genital surgeries on patients over 18, the Seattle Children’s Gender Clinic page states that they accept patients as young as nine years old for other treatments.
The page says that they offer puberty blockers, “gender-affirming hormones,” “gender-affirming surgeries,” “brief mental health support,” and a partnership with the Autism Center.
Speaking to the Daily Caller, a spokesperson for the hospital stood by the practice of mutilating minors.
“We will continue to offer evidence-based gender-affirming care because it is lifesaving care and is aligned with our mission to help every patient live their healthiest and most fulfilling life possible,” a Seattle Children’s spokesman told the Daily Caller. “Seattle Children’s providers are specifically trained to care for the unique needs of adolescents, teens and young adults. This allows our team to offer personalized care that is tailored to meet each patient’s individual needs and goals.”
However, this stance has now changed. After months of legal and public relations battles, Seattle Children’s Hospital has withdrawn its business registration in Texas, effectively ending its ability to conduct any business within the state.
“The parties have agreed that Seattle Children’s Hospital shall voluntarily withdraw its registration to Transact Business in the State of Texas and shall file a certificate of withdrawal with the Texas Secretary of State pursuant to section 9.011 of the Texas Business Organizations Code on or before April 26, 2024,” according to the agreement.
Attorney General Paxton commented on the resolution, stating, “Seattle Children’s Hospital appeared to break Texas law and initially tried to evade accountability when investigated. When we merely began asking questions, they decided to leave the State of Texas and forfeit the opportunity to do business here. Let this make our position clear: medical providers in Texas must abide by our laws. In Texas, we vigorously protect children from damaging, experimental ‘gender transition’ treatments that can have life-altering negative consequences.”
“Gender transitioning minors is child abuse. Child abuse will not be tolerated on my watch,” Paxton wrote on X.
Last year, Paxton also succeeded in compelling the largest children’s hospital in the United States to discontinue hormone therapy and other transgender care for minors.
Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH) CEO Mark Wallace announced the decision in a memo to staff, citing compliance with a new Texas law and ongoing investigations as key factors.
The announcement comes on the heels of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launching an investigation into TCH last May 19, to determine if the hospital is “actively engaging in illegal behavior and performing “gender transitioning” procedures on children.”
“I’ve been clear that any ‘gender transitioning’ procedures that hurt our children constitute child abuse under Texas law,” said Attorney General Paxton.
“Recent reports indicate that Texas Children’s Hospital may be unlawfully performing such procedures, and my office it is working to uncover the truth. I am committed to investigating any entity in our state to ensure that our children are protected. Though many unhinged activists compromising the healthcare field think otherwise, children are not to be treated as science experiments. Doctors and hospitals should not be pushing mutilative and irreversible ‘gender transitioning’ procedures that will negatively impact innocent children for the rest of their lives.”
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