Ken Paxton’s Settlement Opens Nation’s First Detransition Clinic at Texas Children’s Hospital

Breaking

Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston has opened a detransition clinic as part of a $10 million settlement with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate. “BREAKING: The nation’s first-ever Detransition Clinic is now open as a result of my historic settlement with Texas Children’s Hospital,” Paxton posted on X on Tuesday, Oct. 27.

The settlement resolved allegations that the hospital billed Texas Medicaid for gender-transition interventions that Paxton’s office says the program did not allow. The clinic will provide detransition-related medical care for patients through age 21, at no cost for five years, according to Townhall, citing the clinic’s website and the settlement terms. Services include endocrinology, surgery, primary care, fertility counseling, mental health, social work and speech pathology, according to whistleblower Vanessa Sivadge.

Details & Background

Paxton announced the settlement in May, and it was fully executed in August. Of the $10 million, $8,576,000 goes to the state of Texas, and Sivadge, a former nurse at the hospital who raised the alarm, receives $1,715,200, according to Townhall. The claims were brought under the Texas Health Care Program Fraud Prevention Act and the federal False Claims Act. The settlement also permanently ended the privileges of multiple physicians, required the hospital to stop providing gender-transition care to minors, and required it to amend its bylaws so that performing such interventions triggers the loss of medical staff privileges.

The investigation began in 2023, the same year Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 14, which bars minors in Texas from receiving puberty blockers and hormone therapies for gender transition, according to The Advocate. The hospital was required to open the clinic by the end of October. The opening comes one week before Paxton faces Democrat James Talarico in a Senate race that a recent Fox News poll showed tied at 49%.

Reactions

Paxton celebrated the outcome. “This historic settlement is a resounding defeat for the radical gender ideology that has preyed on Texas children under the guise of ‘care,’” he said. “This settlement sends an unmistakable message: if you put radical ideology over children’s health, my office will go after you.” He added, “Activist doctors who harmed children have been fired.” Paxton also vowed, “We will continue to lead the way in stopping the far-left’s radical gender agenda.”

Sivadge marked the opening on X. “Today, Texas Children’s Hospital has officially launched their Detransition Clinic,” she wrote. “I think of all the detransitioners who have suffered in silence.” She added, “This win is for them.” Sivadge said she hopes the clinic “becomes a turning point for the entire country,” adding, “That this clinic is not the exception, but the first of many.” When the agreement was reached, the hospital said in a statement that “we are settling to protect our resources from endless and costly litigation.”

Why This Matters to You

Medicaid is funded by taxpayers, and the program’s rules decide what care it will pay for. When a hospital bills for treatments the program does not cover, every taxpayer footing the bill has a stake. The settlement returns more than $8.5 million to the state of Texas, money taxpayers had every right to expect would be spent on legitimate care.

The clinic also gives young people who regret medical transitions a place to get care at no cost for the next five years. Supporters hope it becomes a model for other states as the national debate over gender medicine for minors continues. With Paxton on the ballot next Tuesday, Texas voters will also weigh his record as attorney general as they decide one of the closest Senate races in the country.