'You better think twice': Houston doc’s info vid on US citizenship removed after pressure from TX gov

11 December 2024

On November 11, Dr. Tony Pastor — a Houston-based cardiologist who practices at Texas Children's Hospital and teaches at Baylor College of Medicine — posted a video on TikTok addressing an executive order from Gov. Greg Abbott.

The Republican governor ordered public hospitals that accept Medicare or Medicaid to report on the immigration status of undocumented patients. But Pastor, in the video, told patients they don't have to respond to questions about their immigration status.

Abbott, in response, threatened to pull funding from Texas Children's Hospital. And according to Chron.com reporter Faith Bugenhagen, the video has since been removed from TikTok.

Bugenhagen reports, "It is not clear if either Texas Children's Hospital or Baylor College of Medicine forced Pastor to remove the video or if Pastor took it down on his own. Chron reached out to Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine on Tuesday to ask if either medical institution requested Pastor take the post down and if any disciplinary actions were taken against the physician."

In Texas hospitals, the question "Are you a U.S. Citizen?" now appears on forms for patients. And Pastor, in the video, said, "We were told today that people do not actually have to answer the question. So, my proposal to everyone who's seeing this is: just know that you do not have to answer this question."

In a November 25 post on X, formerly Twitter, Abbott wrote, "Hey Texas Children’s Hospital & Baylor College of Medicine this doctor is putting your Medicaid & Medicare funding at risk. (You) better think twice & have crystal clear records. There will be consequences for failing to follow the law in the Order."

Bugenhagen notes that "before the video was taken offline, it had received over 250,000 likes and 1.3 million views."

Read Chron.com's full article at this link.

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