Medical Boards to sanction physicians who spread Covid misinformation

Discussion in 'Coronavirus Pandemic Discussions' started by CenterField, Sep 10, 2021.

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  1. CenterField

    CenterField Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    https://www.mdedge.com/pediatrics/a...ge_eNL_091021_A&ecd=wnl_new_210910_mdedge_8pm

    I love it. The Federation of State Medical Boards and three medical specialty boards (Pediatrics, Family Medicine and Internal Medicine) have issued position statements that physicians who spread misinformation about vaccines and ivermectin may see themselves facing licensing suspension or revocation and cancellation of specialty certification.

    Some excerpts:

    I couldn't agree more.
     
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  2. kazenatsu

    kazenatsu Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Of course any rules like this will be blatantly selectively enforced. That's that's the problem with any laws regulating free speech.
    People who denigrate the vaccine will face censure, but we know full well that people who say misleading things in favor of the vaccine will face no repurcusions.

    It's not just a simple matter of choice and telling the truth. No one can get into a controversial argument without taking the risk they might accidentally be saying something false or misleading. This will have the effect of silencing people through creating an aura of fear.
     
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  3. GrayMan

    GrayMan Well-Known Member

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    I don't trust the government and now doctors are are to act the, forked tongue of the government, or be fired? The only doctors left will be government shills repeating what they are told to say. Guess I won't listen to any white coats anymore.
     
    Last edited: Sep 12, 2021
  4. kazenatsu

    kazenatsu Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    There's an article about medical boards becoming PC and implementing cancel culture and "purges".

    http://www.politicalforum.com/index...king-over-the-workplaces-in-hospitals.588767/


    This happened under the Nazis too. Their ideology pretty much took over the medical community in Germany.

    During the Weimar Republic in the mid-twentieth century, more than half of all German physicians became early joiners of the Nazi Party, surpassing the party enrollments of all other professions.

    This article lends insight into this paradox by exploring some major vulnerabilities, motives, and rationalizations that may have predisposed German physicians to Nazi membership-professional vulnerabilities among physicians in general (valuing conformity and obedience to authority...)
    ...economic factors and motives (related to physician economic insecurity and incentives for economic advancement)
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23040706/
     
    Last edited: Sep 12, 2021
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  5. CenterField

    CenterField Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Uh, what? In what way is "the government" involved in this? Are you under the impression that specialty boards and medical boards are "the government"???
     
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  6. CenterField

    CenterField Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Free speech? What part of this you didn't understand?

    "As for free-speech arguments, he said, “Free speech is a constitutional right. You can say whatever you want. The issue here is you do not have the right to expect continued professional sanction of a board certificate if you are lying to the public.”

    A specialty board is akin to a private club. These are private societies of peers.

    The practitioner is free to say whatever he/she wants, but the specialty board is free to deny that person the endorsement of board certification.
     
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  7. CenterField

    CenterField Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    God forbid an anti-vaxxer like you would endorse a medical board that is trying to prevent its associates to spread the same kind of misinformation garbage that you spread. Why am I not surprised?
     
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  8. modernpaladin

    modernpaladin Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Yes. They have the power to influence whether one gets/keeps a license, correct? Which means they can effectively prevent people from practicing medicine via the authorized use of violent force. That is a privelidge that in the democratic world we reserve only for 'the govt.'

    "FSMB supports America’s state medical boards in licensing, disciplining and regulating physicians"

    Federation of State Medical Boards (fsmb.org)
     
    Last edited: Sep 12, 2021
  9. GrayMan

    GrayMan Well-Known Member

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    Hybrid in the same way the federal reserve is a heavily government influenced institution.
     
  10. CenterField

    CenterField Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    You are clearly unfamiliar with physician organizations. I'm not, since I am a physician. There's nothing "governmental" about my specialty medical board. It's a fully independent organization, funded by the members, and selected by the members. It is true that the state medical boards, also not really "governmental" as they represent the community, not the government, and their board of directors are notable people from the community, do have recognition from the States in terms of regulating licensure. It's convenient for the states to delegate this to the boards instead of running licensure operations themselves.
     
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  11. GrayMan

    GrayMan Well-Known Member

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    As I said, it's like the Federal Reserve. The state delegates its authority to these institutions which gives them a lot of influence and power but it also gives the state(us government) the ability to influence these institutions which can sometimes be political.
    Officially its a separate entity from the government, but practically speaking there is a strong tie that makes them somewhat of a government institution as I said "hybrid".
     
    Last edited: Sep 12, 2021
  12. CenterField

    CenterField Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    You have a good point.

    Do notice, though, that your good point applies to only one kind of the entities my OP has addressed. We're talking about two different organizations that issued the same basic opinion.

    One, the Federation of State Medical Boards. While it is not governmental, you are correct that there are some hybrid elements and some delegation by the States, to the individual State Boards (the Federation, though, is more like an association that tries to make the various state boards a bit more similar and more coherent with each other, more in an advisory capacity than administrative - but yes, I'll concede that each individual State Medical Board can be called hybrid). Yes, they have power. As they should. Nothing wrong with that. Medicine is a regulated profession and we do need a watchdog. By the way, the delegation is by the states, not by the feds, who have no say on the matter.

    Two, the Specialty Boards. These are absolutely NOT even hybrid. Board certification is not licensure and has nothing to do with the State. It is not required to practice. It is an added qualification that people use to beef up their resumes, to advertise their practice, to substantiate their authority when they are lecturing, etc.,... but it is not granted by any government, not even by delegation.
     
    Last edited: Sep 12, 2021
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  13. Kranes56

    Kranes56 Banned

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    Good! Took them long enough. We really need to be on track and using a common narrative when it comes to beating Covid. I'm happy this is happening.
     
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  14. GrayMan

    GrayMan Well-Known Member

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    I am not so concerned with institutions outside of the Federation of State Medical Boards. I think if those other institutions abused their new role, they would open themselves up to a defamation lawsuit potentially damaging their own standing.
     
  15. Tejas

    Tejas Banned

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    .

    So... how many straws must we endure until we get to the last straw ??

    What might be the last straw?

    God knows!

    Maybe something like... all Christians have to embrace "wokeness" = either worship no god or all gods and are forbidden from using the exclusive term, Jesus Christ.
    .
     
    Last edited: Sep 12, 2021
  16. kazenatsu

    kazenatsu Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    So you admit you want to suppress the privilege of free speech for the alleged "common good".

    You never watched all those Twilight Zone episodes on totalitarianism, did you?

    The majority in society have already agreed upon something, so we can't allow any more information that might disagree with that, or persuade people to start questioning the belief. The decision has already been made.

    Are you aware of the definition of "bigotry"?
    "obstinate or unreasonable attachment to a belief, opinion, or fact; close-mindedness"

    This is the same sort of behavior of religious zealots.
    You've turned your beliefs into a religion. One where heretics get burned and infidels get beheaded.
     
    Last edited: Sep 12, 2021
  17. Kranes56

    Kranes56 Banned

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    Sweetie I'm training to be a teacher. Do you have any idea about how much free speech I have in and out the classroom?
     
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  18. CenterField

    CenterField Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    In a sense, yes; I've conceded this point of a hybrid entity, to GrayMan. Not the specialty boards, though.
     
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  19. kazenatsu

    kazenatsu Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I hope you teach your students to question things they are told in life.
     
    Last edited: Sep 12, 2021
  20. CenterField

    CenterField Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Why do you ignore that this has nothing to do with free speech? I already told you why (and the doctor quoted by the article did too).
    Again: Doctors are free to say whatever they want to say, but their specialty boards are free to decline to endorse them. No free speech violation at all.
     
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  21. kazenatsu

    kazenatsu Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    With the force of government law behind them.

    I wouldn't call losing one's legal permission to carry on their career, because they said a message that a board believed was inaccurate, the existence of free speech.

    But you already knew this. So why play stupid word games with us?
     
    Last edited: Sep 13, 2021
  22. Kranes56

    Kranes56 Banned

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    I challenged them the other day to be better people when climate change gets more serious and work with others even if it seems like it would be better to screw them over. Does that count?
     
  23. CenterField

    CenterField Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    No. SPECIALTY boards have NOTHING to do with government. There is no "force of government law behind them." Get informed.
    Nobody loses one's legal permission to carry on their career if a SPECIALTY medical board does not endorse them, because board certification is not required to practice.
    Don't mix them up with State Medical Boards. Read the thread and you'll learn the difference. You have a point regarding State Medical Boards. You do not have one regarding Specialty Boards.

    And yes, State Medical Boards have a responsibility to protect the public, so if a doctor is spouting the lies and the conspiracy theories that you spout here, thus hurting the public, yes, the board will need to sanction the person. Medicine is a regulated profession. A medical professional cannot willingly attempt to hurt the public without facing consequences.
     
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  24. kazenatsu

    kazenatsu Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    You might have a point there, but they are still abusing their positions.

    Employers and hospitals rely on these specialty boards for impartial evaluation.

    Imagine if one of these boards refused to certify Black doctors.
    If the board discriminates, and the employer uses board certification to as a factor (a gigantic factor) to evaluate the applicant, then the employer discriminates.
     
    Last edited: Sep 13, 2021
  25. Kranes56

    Kranes56 Banned

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    I think this gets to the point that people miss. Medicine is a profession. It's not just a job but a job that carries weight and responsibility with it. A doctor doesn't just treat their patients but their entire community as well by being a person people trust for information. They don't have as much freedom because of that responsibility for better or for worse.
     
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