Attorney General Ken Paxton wants answers from Houston Methodist Hospital after reports that it has conditioned organ transplants on a patient’s COVID-19 vaccination status.
In a letter sent to hospital leadership this week, the attorney general asked the hospital to clarify whether any past or current transplant-eligibility policies violate a new Texas law, which as of September 1 prohibits health care providers from denying, delaying, or deprioritizing transplant services based solely on a patient’s vaccination choice.
In a statement, Attorney General Paxton argued that “Texans looking to receive medical care should never be turned away due to arbitrary COVID-19 vaccine mandates imposed by woke medical providers.” “Vaccine mandates as a precondition for certain life-saving treatments may not only violate new state laws that became effective on September 1, but they also violate human dignity and run contrary to foundational principles of medical ethics.”
Attorney General Paxton has given Houston Methodist Hospital 14 days to respond in writing about steps taken to comply. Moreover, he warned that failure to do so could prompt a formal investigation.
A spokesperson for the hospital shared that the hospital is aware of the attorney general’s letter, and it plans to provide a comment soon.
This is not the first time that Houston Methodist Hospital finds itself at the center of controversy surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine. In 2021, the hospital was the first in the nation to require the vaccine as a condition of employment. However, the hospital did allow employees to request religious or medical exemptions.
Houston Methodist Hospital has an October 27 deadline to respond.
