Dr. Haim Vowed to ‘First, Do No Harm,’ Now We Must Support Him

Dr. Haim’s legal defense is a defense of the ability of medical professionals to tell the truth in the interest of children’s health, especially when doing so is unpopular.

Reality’s Last Stand is a reader-supported publication. Please consider becoming a paying subscriber or making a one-time or recurring donation to show your support.

Texas gender medicine whistleblower Dr. Eithan Haim is being targeted by the federal Department of Justice. The DOJ has indicted him on highly dubious felony charges. This is a thinly-veiled, politically motivated campaign of intimidation. Its purpose is not primarily to punish Dr. Haim, but to deter other medical professionals from raising concerns about the use of hormones and surgeries as a “cure” for kids who feel uncomfortable in their bodies around puberty. And that deterrence is, in turn, crucial to the continuation of the pseudo-consensus in the medical field over “gender-affirming care.”

If “all major medical associations agree,” that can only be because the Dr. Haims of the profession have no say in the matter. Dr. Haim says he will not be silenced; he intends to fight this indictment, and by extension the federal government’s abuse of power. And he has a team of excellent lawyers, including Marcella Burke, to do so.

The Biden administration has consistently shown evidence of ideological capture on transgender issues. Just days after the Cass Review came out and reported no credible evidence that social transition in children is beneficial, the Department of Education issued new Title IX rules that compel schools to transition kids on demand, without regard to age or circumstance, and without parental notification or consent. Just as with DOJ in Dr. Haim’s case, the Department of Education was acting from political motives—to appease powerful lobby groups within the Democratic coalition and activists within the Biden administration’s own bureaucracy.

In an interview she gave to the New York Times, Dr. Cass said that U.S. medical groups were “out of date” on gender medicine. The Biden administration has repeatedly deferred to those groups—WPATH in particular—when crafting its medical, educational, and legal policies. The same DOJ that is now coming after Dr. Haim is party to a lawsuit in Alabama over the state’s age restriction law (Boe v. Marshall). The DOJ is collaborating with WPATH to get the court to rule the law unconstitutional.

You might not like the fact that this issue is being fought over in the courts and the legislative halls. You might believe—as I do—that this issue is best resolved within the medical and scientific research communities. Sadly, we are well past that point. State power has been used for years to advance “gender-affirming care” and suppress skepticism. The Biden administration has made those efforts a central part of its coalition building strategy. Lawfare, which refers to the weaponization of law to achieve political goals and punish opponents, is now in full swing.

Lambda Legal, once a gay rights organization that now defends a medical practice that disproportionately harms gay kids, just announced that it is approaching its $180 million fundraising goal to “nearly double [the] organization's litigation docket capacity.”

Dr. Haim’s legal defense is a defense of the ability of medical professionals to tell the truth in the interest of children’s health, especially when doing so is unpopular. Dr. Haim has taken an extraordinary professional risk in doing what so many doctors know they should do but too few are actually willing to do. He takes his professional vow to “first, do no harm” very seriously. It is now up to us to reciprocate and do our part.

Please consider joining me in donating to his legal fund by clicking the image below. Every little bit helps.

Reality’s Last Stand is a reader-supported publication. If you enjoyed this article, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription. Your support is greatly appreciated.