The Texas Medical Board has temporarily suspended Midlothian physician Jeffrey Albert Astbury after he was arrested in August on a warrant in Dallas County for online solicitation of a minor. He was arrested in Ellis County on a warrant out of Dallas County.
The board determined that his practice poses a continuing threat to public welfare, and the suspension is effective immediately. According to Healthgrades, Astbury is a hospice and palliative medicine specialist in Midlothian who is affiliated with Baylor Scott & White – Midlothian.
The pandemic has had an impact on sex trafficking around the world, with economic hardship compounded by the closure of schools. For many living on the edge of poverty or who have recently escaped sex trafficking, the pandemic might cause them to head back into the business, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. Some landlords are even operating “room shares” in exchange for sex because of the uptick in evictions.
According to the Texas Medical Board, Astbury graduated from UT Southwestern Medical School in 1992. In 2015, the board and Astbury entered into a non-disciplinary remedial plan that required the physician to complete four hours of ethics or risk management and pay an administrative fee of $500 after he failed to use the Texas electronic death registry and or complete a death certificate. Astbury did not admit or deny the findings but agreed to the plan to avoid litigation.
