Dr. Terry Bennett reportedly told a patient that she was so fat, only black guys would want to date her. He told another patient that because she'd had brain surgery, maybe -- just maybe -- she ought to shoot herself.
The Associated Press reports:
Judge Edward Fitzgerald made clear in a ruling released Thursday that he did not condone remarks attributed to Dr. Terry Bennett and found them unnecessary, but ruled Bennett had a right to speak bluntly.
"It is nonetheless important ... to ensure that physicians and patients are free to discuss matters relating to health without fear of government reprisal, even if such discussions may sometimes be harsh, rude or offensive to the listener," he concluded in the ruling Wednesday.
The complaints against Bennett included charges that he told a white patient that she was so obese she might only be attractive to black men.
"Let's face it, if your husband were to die tomorrow, who would want you?" the board has said Bennett told the overweight patient in June 2004. "Well, men might want you, but not the types you want to want you. Might even be a black guy," it quoted him as saying, based on the woman's complaint.
Bennett, 68, has denied making the comment, but has said he's seen polls supporting that position.
"If you look at the polling, nobody likes fat women," he said last year. "Is it right? No. Is it sensible? No. Is it true? Yeah ... Black guys are the only group that don't mind that. Is that racist to say that?"
A 2001 complaint accused Bennett of telling a woman recovering from brain surgery to buy a pistol and shoot herself to end her suffering. The doctor was also accused of speaking harshly to a woman about how her son might have contracted hepatitis, according to the ruling.
Bennett claimed victory.
"The question now is: Will the board waste more of your and my tax dollars and appeal this, or accept done as done?" he said in a telephone interview.
7 comments:
I love how this guy claims victory. Victory how? He and the medical board have no unequivocally proved he's a bastard? Sheesh.
Nothing will beat the case of Stuart Shuster, MD, who was handed some severe punishment for being a serial fondler of his patients.
Male and female ...
Nondiscriminatory...
Oh, did I mention he is a dwarf?
Oh, so now were picking on short people?
"Oh, so now were picking on short people?"
Short. In oh, so many ways.
There's no law against being a professional asshole.
At least... not yet.
Lib guy ... maybe not, I certainly know a lot of them. But there are laws about sexual contact between physicians and patients, adults and children, bar-flies and waitresses. Surely you don't suggest in the libbyloonie world there whould be no such laws?
Suster (sorry for the original typo) lost his medical license and is in court doing things the good old american way ... defending himself against the allegations. Oh, BTW .. .there are videotapes...
On the other hand, I know a couple of female docs who can frotage me anytime they want ... but they won't.
Of course not, John. I'm not THAT much of an anarchist.
Not only should we keep the laws banning unwanted seuxal conduct; we should make them even harsher. I'm thinking a roll of duct tape, a pound of bacon scraps, and a nice tree deep in the Mark Twain forest, where Mr. Perv can contemplate who his next friend will be.
Especially if he does kids. But it takes *consenting* adults to make the gov't go away. Kids can't consent. Adults who choose NOT to, aren't consenting. Laws still apply, and rightly so.
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