The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on Monday announced the indictment of Dr. Eithan Haim, who last year leaked evidence of a Texas hospital conducting transgender hormone surgeries, despite the hospital’s claims of discontinuing such procedures. The surgeon faces four felony charges of violating medical record laws, and if convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison.
On June 17th, the DOJ announced that Haim was being charged for accessing protected personal health information of patients not under his care, alleging unauthorized actions with the intent to cause malicious harm to the Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH).
The focus of controversy lies in TCH, the largest children’s hospital in the U.S., publicly announcing in March 2022 its cessation of providing “hormone-related prescriptions for gender-affirming services” to minors. This action was taken as per Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who deemed prescriptions of puberty blockers as “child abuse” under Texas law.
Reportedly, documents leaked by Haim reveal the hospital continued with some “gender-affirming” treatments post the announcement, including a surgery on an 11-year-old child three days after the news broke.
Ultimately, Texas lawmakers passed a law prohibiting pediatric gender transition surgeries and puberty blocker prescriptions, which went into effect mid-2023 after legal challenges. TCH subsequently announced the discontinuation of all gender-affirming medical surgeries for children.
Haim was scheduled to appear before Judge Yvonne Y. Ho in Houston on June 17th. If convicted of violating the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) charges, he could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
A request for comment on the indictment of Haim sent to TCH’s public relations department went unanswered.
Federal prosecutor Alamdar Hamdani, from the Southern District of Texas, who announced the indictment against Haim, stated in a released statement, “The defendant should be presumed innocent until proven guilty through the legal process.”
On June 16th, the day before his court appearance, Haim posted a message on X, stating, “We will face those who seek to corrupt our institutions, undermining the future rightfully deserved by my daughter. Therefore, I say one thing to all fathers: We must never succumb to the destroyers of our children; we must relentlessly fight to preserve their dignity, being ready to make sacrifices for their future.”
Last year, Haim anonymously leaked evidence to Christopher Rufo of “City Journal,” indicating that TCH continued gender transition therapies for minors days after publicly announcing the end of such surgeries in 2022.
“In evaluating the actions of the Attorney General and the Governor, Texas Children’s Hospital paused providing hormone-related gender-affirming services. This action was taken to protect our healthcare professionals and affected families from potential criminal consequences,” TCH stated in a press release issued in March 2022.
Earlier, in February 2022, the Texas Attorney General issued an opinion on the Department of Family and Protective Services, stating that certain surgeries on minors, such as castration, creating “penises” from other body parts, developing “vaginas” by removing male genitalia, the use of puberty blockers, and fertility-inducing drugs, were deemed “abusive acts” under Section 261.001 of the Texas Family Code.
TCH, in their statement announcing the suspension of certain “gender-affirming” treatments, expressed their mission to “create a healthier future for all children, including transgender children, within the bounds of the law.”
Rufo’s article, quoting documents provided by Haim, concluded that despite TCH’s announcement, they did not cease gender transition surgeries for minors, including the use of implantable puberty blockers.
Rufo cited TCH spokesman Kelley Carville, who at the time declined to comment.
An inquiry to Carville for comments on the case has not been immediately answered.
In a follow-up article, Rufo mentioned that “there is nothing in the information provided to me that can identify any individual,” and Haim’s documents had been “carefully edited.”
Rufo quoted one of Haim’s lawyers, Marcella Burke, stating her belief that the trial would end with her client being declared innocent.