DOJ Charges Texas Doctor Who Exposed ‘Gender-Affirming’ Care for Minors.

 Dr. Eithan Haim faces 10 years in prison and a $250,000 maximum possible fine if convicted.

Protesters opposing medical transgender procedures for youths gathered at the American Academy of Pediatrics convention in Anaheim, Calif., on Oct. 7, 2022. (Courtesy of TreVoices.Org/Scott Newgent)

The Department of Justice unsealed an indictment on Monday against Dr. Eithan Haim, accusing him of leaking evidence concerning cross-sex hormone procedures performed at a Texas hospital despite the facility's claim to have ceased such practices. Dr. Haim faces four felony counts under a medical-records law, potentially leading to a 10-year prison sentence.

The DOJ, in a statement on June 17, charged Dr. Haim with unauthorized access to protected health information of patients not under his care, allegedly intending harm to Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH). The controversy arose when TCH, the largest children’s hospital in the U.S., publicly announced halting "hormone-related prescription therapies for gender-affirming services" for minors in March 2022, citing legal concerns after state declarations.

Documents leaked by Dr. Haim reportedly revealed that the hospital continued certain gender-affirming treatments post-announcement, including a procedure on an 11-year-old shortly thereafter. Subsequently, Texas legislators enacted a ban on sex-change procedures and puberty blockers for minors, effective mid-2023 after legal disputes, prompting TCH to cease all transgender medical procedures for children that year.

Dr. Haim, scheduled to appear in court on June 17 before U.S. Magistrate Yvonne Y. Ho in Houston, faces potential penalties of a decade in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted of violating HIPAA. The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, Alamdar Hamdani, stressed Dr. Haim’s presumption of innocence pending due legal process. A request for comment from TCH’s public relations department remained unanswered.

On June 16, ahead of his court appearance, Dr. Haim posted a message on X, stating, “We will confront those undermining our institutions and jeopardizing my daughter’s future. To fellow fathers, we must resist those harming our children, uphold their dignity, and be willing to sacrifice for their future.”