A Texas doctor is facing legal trouble after being accused of illegally obtaining private information on patients from Texas Children's Hospital, the nation's largest pediatric hospital. Dr. Eithan Haim, a 34-year-old surgeon, allegedly accessed patient data without authorization and shared it with a conservative activist with the intent to cause harm to the hospital.
According to federal prosecutors, Haim pleaded not guilty to four counts of wrongfully obtaining individually identifiable health information. The indictment states that in 2023, Haim reactivated his login credentials at the hospital to access information on pediatric patients not under his care, including names, attending physicians, and treatment codes, which he then passed on to a media contact.
Haim publicly admitted to providing the patient information to the activist, who subsequently published a story alleging that the hospital was providing transgender care for minors in secret. While transgender care for minors was legal in Texas at the time, Texas Children's Hospital had announced in 2022 that it would cease gender-affirming therapies.
Following the publication of the story, Texas lawmakers passed a law in September 2023 banning transgender care for minors, a move that has since been challenged in court. This law is part of a broader trend, with at least 25 states enacting legislation to restrict or prohibit gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors, many of which are facing legal challenges.
If convicted, Haim could face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He has been released on a $10,000 bond and maintains his innocence, vowing to fight the charges. Texas Children's Hospital declined to comment on the case but has previously stated that its doctors have always provided care within the bounds of the law.
