DOJ charges Texas doctor after he blew the whistle on gender-affirming care for minors
The Department of Justice filed criminal charges against a whistleblower after he exposed a Texas hospital that was allegedly secretly conducting gender-affirming care on minors.
Dr. Eithan Haim, a surgeon who completed his residency at the Texas Children's Hospital, was accused of HIPAA violations and has been indicted on four felony charges. Haim has vowed to fight the charges and suggested the DOJ is corrupt.
"They wanted to intimidate me into silence using every technique the federal leviathan had at their disposal. But they failed," Haim wrote Thursday on X. "The only way to lose is to submit to corruption. It's time to fight back harder than ever!.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Haim's attorney, Marcella Burke, said, "My client is anxious to get to trial to get his side of the story told. I am confident this will result in the correct decision being made."
Haim leaked documents to journalist Christopher Rufo in May 2023 showing that the Texas Children's Hospital continued operating its child gender clinic against state law after they claimed it had been shut down.
Rufo previously stressed that none of the documents he obtained from Haim included patients' personal information at the clinic.
U.S. marshals earlier this week visited Haim's home to hand him a summons and instruct him to appear in court to face the indictments.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton released an opinion in February 2022 that stated gender-affirming care for kids could be a form of child abuse under state law. The following month, Texas Children's Hospital issued a statement saying it would stop all treatments and surgeries on children related to transgenderism.
In a piece published in the City Journal, Haim claimed that three days after the announcement, a surgeon implanted a hormone device in an 11-year-old girl who was experiencing gender dysphoria.
Haim said that over the next year, the frequency of these procedures increased.
Following the May 14, 2023, story by Rufo that included Haim's first-hand account, the Texas legislature passed a law that banned transgender medical interventions on minors.
In June, Haim said two federal agents arrived at his home and notified him that he was a "potential target" for an investigation involving violations of federal criminal law.
Haim's court appearance is set for June 10, when he and his lawyers will learn more about the charges related to medical records.
Texas Children's Hospital and the DOJ did not immediately return Fox News Digital's request for comment.
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