Attorney General Ken Paxton is announcing a major victory in a case against the Corrupt Biden Administration as a Biden-era U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) rule that allowed healthcare providers to refuse to cooperate with state investigations related to “reproductive healthcare” has now been permanently vacated. With the assurance that states have the ability to fully investigate the performance of illegal “gender transition” services and abortions, Attorney General Paxton filed a joint motion with President Trump’s Department of Justice (“DOJ”) concluding the case. 

The Biden era rule attempted to radically rewrite the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”). It created sweeping new restrictions on when healthcare providers could share information with state officials related to “reproductive health care,” which is a term the agency defined so broadly it included everything from abortion to “gender transition” procedures for minors. The rule threatened criminal penalties against providers who complied with legitimate state subpoenas. The corrupt Biden HHS attempted to transform HIPAA into a tool to shield potential wrongdoing and hinder Texas’s ability to enforce its laws. 

“The Corrupt Biden Administration failed in its radical attempt to obstruct our ability to protect women, children, and those who can't yet speak for themselves. This dismissal confirms that federal agencies cannot take away the power of a state to uphold their laws,” said Attorney General Paxton. “This is a crucial win for Texas, the unborn, and the rule of law.” 

Biden’s HHS issued their unlawful rule in response to the Supreme Court’s decision in the Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization case, which returned the power to regulate abortion to the states. Attorney General Paxton’s victory follows months of litigation and reaffirms the Office of the Attorney General’s authority to fully investigate illegal “gender transition” and abortion related cases in Texas.