HHS Warns 2 Texas Hospitals on Newborn Heart-Defect Care as Gabriel Enters NICU

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 14

HHS told Children’s Medical Center of Dallas and UT Southwestern they cannot deny medically necessary treatment to baby Gabriel, a newborn with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, because of his disability.
The agency’s civil rights office said federal law bars withholding life-sustaining care based on judgments that a disabled person’s life is less valuable or too burdensome, and urged any withdrawal decision to go through an infant care committee review.
Gabriel was born Wednesday and taken to a neonatal intensive care unit, where doctors could perform heart surgery; HHS said treatment should continue during any review and that it is monitoring the case.
The federal warning follows action by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who notified the hospitals of their legal duties and obtained a court order aimed at ensuring the newborn receives life-saving care.
The dispute began after surrogate McKenna West said the intended parents asked her to abort the fetus at about 20 weeks after the diagnosis, a case that has since drawn backing from conservative and anti-abortion groups.