HHS warns Texas hospitals against denying life-saving care to newborn with disability

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a warning to Children's Medical Center of Dallas and UT Southwestern Medical Center on January 15, 2026, stating that the hospitals cannot withhold treatment from a newborn identified as baby Gabriel based on his heart defect. The warning was issued under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which prohibits discrimination based on disability in programs receiving federal funding. HHS did not publicly specify what treatments were at issue or the current status of the infant's care.

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