{"id":44313,"date":"2026-08-14T12:29:47","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T07:29:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=44313"},"modified":"2026-08-14T12:29:47","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T07:29:47","slug":"hhs-warns-texas-hospitals-against-denying-life-saving-care-to-newborn-with-disability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=44313","title":{"rendered":"HHS warns Texas hospitals against denying life-saving care to newborn with disability"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" data-article-body=\"true\" data-body-type=\"bodyblocks\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The Trump administration is stepping into the battle over a <a data-ylk=\"slk:Texas newborn;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.com\/category\/us\/us-regions\/southwest\/texas\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Texas newborn<\/a> with a severe heart defect, warning two hospitals they cannot withhold medical treatment because of his disability.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The Department of Health and Human Services&#8217; Office for Civil Rights told Fox News Digital Thursday it is sending a letter to Children&#8217;s Medical Center of Dallas and UT Southwestern Medical Center outlining their obligations under federal disability civil rights laws as doctors make treatment decisions involving baby Gabriel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The federal intervention comes after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton took action to ensure the newborn receives medically necessary care after a dispute that began when his biological parents allegedly asked their surrogate to abort him after he was diagnosed with <a data-ylk=\"slk:hypoplastic left heart syndrome;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.com\/category\/health\/medical-research\/rare-diseases\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">hypoplastic left heart syndrome<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a data-ylk=\"slk:Surrogate Gives Birth In Texas To Baby With Heart Defect After Parents Requested Abortion;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.com\/politics\/surrogate-gives-birth-texas-baby-heart-defect-parents-requested-abortion\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Surrogate Gives Birth In Texas To Baby With Heart Defect After Parents Requested Abortion<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Surrogate mother McKenna West refused the request and traveled to Texas, where Gabriel was born Wednesday and taken to a neonatal intensive care unit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In its letter, HHS&#8217; civil rights office makes clear that federal law prohibits withholding medical treatment based on a person&#8217;s disability, including based on judgments that the life of someone with a disability has less value or that the individual would impose a burden on others.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a data-ylk=\"slk:Read On The Fox News App;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.onelink.me\/xLDS\/mvaj7wvj\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Read On The Fox News App<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Those federal protections extend to decisions involving life-sustaining treatment, according to HHS.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The agency said it is monitoring Gabriel&#8217;s case and offering technical assistance to Children&#8217;s Medical Center of Dallas and UT Southwestern as the hospitals determine his care.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a data-ylk=\"slk:Hhs Official Warns Of Irreversible Risks As Trump Admin Restricts Funding For Youth Gender Procedures;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.com\/politics\/hhs-official-warns-irreversible-risks-trump-admin-restricts-funding-youth-gender-procedures\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Hhs Official Warns Of Irreversible Risks As Trump Admin Restricts Funding For Youth Gender Procedures<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Newborn baby boy in a transparent portable hospital bed.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/lo\/mysterio\/api\/7f8d88a35ff27715bf3b21a57205869574a3ba9fc6dc4970c61ee899f551659e\/lightyear_networkapi\/resizefill_w960%3Bquality_80%3Bformat_webp\/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.zenfs.com%2Fen%2Ffox_news_text_979%2F611875e1f90d8500b07b36d71ca8b293.jpg\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-primary p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-primary\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><default:svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" class=\"flex-none size-4 -scale-x-100 text-primary lg:size-6 [&amp;_path]:fill-current\"><default:path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M3.1 3.1V11h1.8V6.314l5.392 5.393 1.415-1.414L6.313 4.9H11V3.1zm17.8 17.8V13h-1.8v4.686l-5.393-5.393-1.415 1.414 5.393 5.393H13v1.8z\"\/><\/default:svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-primary hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<div style=\"max-height:none;overflow:visible\"><span class=\"[&amp;_p]:inline\"><\/p>\n<p>A newborn baby boy in a small transparent portable hospital bed.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">HHS is also urging the hospitals to seek a review by an infant care committee if doctors consider withholding or withdrawing medically indicated treatment. The agency said life-sustaining treatment should continue during that review.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The federal action marks the latest intervention in the dispute over <a data-ylk=\"slk:Gabriel's medical care;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.com\/politics\/surrogate-gives-birth-texas-baby-heart-defect-parents-requested-abortion\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Gabriel&#8217;s medical care<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">West was around 20 weeks pregnant when Gabriel was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a congenital condition in which the left side of the heart is severely underdeveloped. The diagnosis allegedly prompted the intended parents to ask West to have an abortion, according to Paxton&#8217;s office.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">West instead traveled to Texas, and Paxton formally notified UT Southwestern Medical Center and Children&#8217;s Medical Center of Dallas of what his office said were their legal obligations to provide Gabriel with &#8220;medically necessary, life-saving care upon birth.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a data-ylk=\"slk:Texas Ag Paxton Demands Dallas Sheriff Pursue Ice Agreement As Deadline Dispute Sparks Legal Threat;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.com\/us\/tx-ag-paxton-demands-dallas-sheriff-pursue-ice-agreement-deadline-dispute-sparks-legal-threat\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Texas Ag Paxton Demands Dallas Sheriff Pursue Ice Agreement As Deadline Dispute Sparks Legal Threat<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Paxton later secured a <a data-ylk=\"slk:court order;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.com\/category\/politics\/judiciary\/federal-courts\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">court order<\/a> aimed at ensuring the baby received care after birth.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;The court has made the right decision in immediately acting to protect baby Gabriel&#8217;s life and ensure he receives the care he deserves,&#8221; Paxton said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;My office utilized every tool at our disposal to protect life, and we will not back down in continuing to support baby Gabriel&#8217;s well-being,&#8221; he added. &#8220;Every child in our state deserves to be cared for and protected, and that&#8217;s exactly what I&#8217;ll fight for.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The case has drawn an outpouring of support for West from conservative and pro-life advocates, who praised her decision to continue the pregnancy and fight for Gabriel&#8217;s care.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a data-ylk=\"slk:Supreme Court Unanimously Slaps Down Blue State Targeting Pro-life Group;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.com\/politics\/supreme-court-unanimously-slaps-down-blue-state-targeting-pro-life-group\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Supreme Court Unanimously Slaps Down Blue State Targeting Pro-life Group<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Andrew Kolvet, a spokesman for Turning Point USA, called West a &#8220;hero&#8221; on X, writing that she &#8220;saved this baby&#8217;s life&#8221; and saying he hopes she is ultimately able to keep Gabriel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Alliance Defending Freedom, which represents West, celebrated the court order requiring Gabriel to receive the surgery. ADF Senior Counsel Erik Baptist praised West&#8217;s &#8220;courageous stand&#8221; for Gabriel and said &#8220;every child deserves a chance at life.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Pro-life group Live Action also praised West for resisting pressure to abort Gabriel but said the fight is not over. The group raised concerns that a court order is preventing West from having contact with the newborn, saying Gabriel &#8220;needs the comfort of the only mother he&#8217;s ever known&#8221; and that his needs should remain the priority.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Gabriel was born Wednesday and transported to a neonatal intensive care unit, where doctors could perform surgery to treat his heart condition.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a data-ylk=\"slk:Click Here To Download The Fox News App;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.onelink.me\/xLDS?pid=AppArticleLink&amp;af_dp=foxnewsaf%3A%2F%2F&amp;af_web_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fapps-products\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Click Here To Download The Fox News App<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;Baby Gabriel deserves a chance at life, and I will not allow anyone to unlawfully deny him medically necessary care,&#8221; Paxton previously said. &#8220;My office will use every tool available to protect innocent lives and ensure that every child receives the care required under Texas law.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Fox News Digital reached out to Children&#8217;s Medical Center of Dallas and UT Southwestern Medical Center for comment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>Fox News Digital&#8217;s Robert McGreevy contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>Original article source:<\/em> <a data-ylk=\"slk:HHS warns Texas hospitals against denying life-saving care to newborn with disability;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/us\/hhs-warns-texas-hospitals-denying-life-saving-care-newborn-disability\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">HHS warns Texas hospitals against denying life-saving care to newborn with disability<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Trump administration is stepping into the battle over a Texas newborn with a severe heart defect, warning two hospitals they cannot withhold medical treatment because of his disability. The Department of Health and Human Services&#8217; Office for Civil Rights told Fox News Digital Thursday it is sending a letter to Children&#8217;s Medical Center of&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44314,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/lo\/mysterio\/api\/b2c358bfd48477465e368b857af7e82f7f89a22cc54e9b5d9a33ea9429531c94\/lightyear_networkapi\/resizefill_w1200%3Bquality_80%3Bformat_jpg\/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.zenfs.com%2Fen%2Ffox_news_text_979%2F611875e1f90d8500b07b36d71ca8b293.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44313","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-trending-viral-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44313","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=44313"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44313\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/44314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=44313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=44313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=44313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}