Attorney General Ken Paxton has officially warned Houston Methodist Hospital that it may not deny organ transplants to patients who refused the COVID-19 vaccine. He directed the hospital to clarify whether its policies comply with a newly effective Texas law prohibiting such discrimination.
On October 2, the Office of the Attorney General sent a certified letter to Dr. Marc Boom, president and CEO of Houston Methodist, demanding clarification about the hospital’s organ transplant policies.
The inquiry specifically cites section 161.474 of the Texas Health & Safety Code, which became law on September 1 and prohibits healthcare providers from refusing organ transplants, withholding related services, or lowering waitlist priorities based solely on a patient’s vaccination status.
Paxton’s action comes after reports and social media posts suggested Houston Methodist’s Kidney Transplant Program required the COVID-19 vaccine for all recipients, stating transplants “will be postponed until the recipient receives the Covid-19 vaccine.”
The attorney general’s office is probing whether such mandates remain in effect and if so, whether they violate state law forbidding discrimination against organ transplant patients based on vaccination status.
A Houston Methodist spokesperson told Texas Scorecard the hospital “does not have a policy requiring transplant patients be vaccinated against COVID-19, or any other disease, and does not deny care based on vaccination status. We abide by all state laws and as one of the largest transplant programs in the country, the safety of our patients always comes first.”
Paxton has given Houston Methodist 14 days to provide written details of its compliance.
In his statement, Paxton criticized “arbitrary COVID-19 vaccine mandates imposed by woke medical providers” and emphasized that such conditions for life-saving procedures could violate both state law and medical ethics.
“The passage of House Bill 4076 in the 89th legislative session was a significant victory for the rights of the most medically vulnerable Texans, and it cannot be overstated how important it is to have a strong Attorney General willing to hold violators of this new law accountable for their unethical practices,” Texans for Vaccine Choice Political Director Michelle Evans told Texas Scorecard. “TFVC commends this swift action and looks forward to the day that no Texan is the victim of vaccine discrimination, particularly in healthcare.”
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