A Texas doctor was forced to delete their TikTok about helping undocumented immigrants get healthcare after the state’s governor threatened to defund a children’s hospital.
In the now-deleted video, Dr. Tony Pastor told viewers that they did not have to disclose their citizenship status to medical professionals when receiving care, as reported by Chron.
The viral TikTok came following Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order which requires public Texas hospitals receiving funding for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program to report on health care for undocumented patients, as reported by the Austin-American Statesman.
In the deleted TikTok, Pastor, who works as a cardiologist at Texas Children’s Hospital, said, “It has made all of us physicians and providers super uncomfortable.” He added, “No one has told us what people are going to do with this information,” as reported by HuffPost.
It is unclear whether Pastor took the video down by his own choice or if the hospital or Baylor College of Medicine, where he also works as an assistant professor, required him to. Texas Children’s Hospital declined to give a statement to Chron.
After the November TikTok went viral, Abbott made a post to X appearing to threaten funding for the hospital Pastor works at.
Hey Texas Children’s Hospital & Baylor College of Medicine this doctor is putting your Medicaid & Medicare funding at risk. ou better think twice & have crystal clear records. There will be consequences for failing to follow the law in the Order.
https://t.co/g11ot8genv— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) November 25, 2024
“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,” Abbott tweeted.
Texas Children’s Hospital said in a statement obtained by MedPage Today that it “fully supports Governor Abbott’s new executive order and is in full compliance.”
“While we recognize that individuals working at Texas Children’s hold their own personal views on many topics, those opinions do not necessarily reflect the official position of Texas Children’s Hospital,” the statement continued.
Following the governor’s tweet, Pastor made another TikTok. Text reading, “When the gov of Texas threatens you on X because he is mad you exercised freedom of speech,” plays over the video of Pastor while the song “Popular” from the movie “Wicked” plays in the background.
Pastor has not made any additional posts or comments surrounding the executive order.
Originally published by Latin Times.
