A nurse at the nation’s largest children’s hospital has raised alarming concerns about doctors pressuring parents into allowing their children to undergo hormone therapy and other transgender medical interventions.
Vanessa Sivadge, who has been working at a Texas Children’s Hospital clinic since 2021, alleges that doctors there prioritize “ideology” over the well-being of their young patients, many of whom have additional underlying issues.
“Parents were manipulated by doctors with an ideological agenda to push them towards medical transition for their child,” Sivadge said in an exclusive interview. “I believe doctors used manipulative language to suggest that if parents didn’t consent to these treatments, their children might commit suicide or harm themselves.”
Sivadge, 31, also claimed that doctors miscategorized treatments to justify providing gender-affirming care, potentially bypassing a Texas Medicaid ban on covering hormone treatments for transgender medicine.
Although Sivadge does not know if these treatments are billed to Medicaid, she is concerned about the ethical implications.
The Houston-based healthcare worker said she is now facing pressure from the FBI for speaking out.
Agents visited her home after she spoke to conservative journalist Chris Rufo, suggesting she might be involved in a HIPAA patient privacy violation investigation.
Despite this, Sivadge continues to work at Texas Children’s Hospital and remains vocal about the lack of transparency with parents regarding the long-term effects of these treatments.
“The doctor would cater to what the patient wanted, rather than what was medically best for them,” she said. “There was no discussion about the risks or long-term effects.”
Sivadge observed that many patients had underlying issues such as previous suicide attempts, autism, depression, and anxiety, which were often overlooked in favor of prescribing hormones and other transgender care. She felt these underlying issues were being ignored.
“Many had prior ER visits for attempted suicide, were autistic, depressed, and anxious,” she said. “It was clear there was more going on than just confusion about their sexual identity. It devastated me.”
Sivadge also noted that doctors misdiagnosed patients with hormone deficiencies to obtain Medicaid coverage for puberty blockers and hormones. She described the practice as making “ludicrous” claims that healthy girls had testosterone deficiencies or healthy boys had estrogen deficiencies.
Texas Children’s Hospital announced in March 2022 that it would stop gender-affirming hormone treatments for children following a directive from Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton, who labeled such treatments as “child abuse.”
In June 2023, the state legislature passed a law banning trans treatments for kids and prohibiting taxpayer funds from covering gender-affirming care. This law is currently under legal challenge in the Texas Supreme Court.
Sivadge revealed that the clinic kept records of parents’ attitudes towards gender-affirming care.
“It was noted which parents were cautious and had questions, and which ones were fully affirming,” she claimed.
In 2022, Sivadge publicly opposed transgender medicine for children, writing for the conservative Family Research Council that she believes the treatments cause long-term harm. She came forward with specific allegations against Texas Children’s Hospital in May 2023 after Dr. Eithan Haim, another whistleblower, leaked documents suggesting the hospital conducted gender-affirming surgeries on children in secret and against the law.
Haim now faces charges for violating HIPAA privacy laws.
In July 2023, FBI agents visited Sivadge’s home, allegedly to intimidate her into silence. She claimed the agents used veiled threats, suggesting her safety at work was at risk if she did not cooperate.
“They said, ‘We’re aware of your views on transgender medicine,’” Sivadge recounted. “They implied that if I didn’t help them, my life would be very difficult.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has initiated an investigation into the whistleblowers’ claims, and Texas state Rep. Brian Harrison has called for legislative hearings to investigate the issue and the Biden administration’s “unconstitutional tyranny.”
“The Biden administration aims to stifle dissent and silence opposition,” Harrison said.
Sivadge emphasized that her goal is to advocate for children receiving life-altering treatments from providers prioritizing political correctness over medical care.
“These doctors are driven by a political and ideological agenda,” she said. “I truly believe they think they’re doing the right thing.”
