Evangelical Christian GP sacked from Advisory Council on Misue of Drugs for failing to declare authorship of anti-homosexual article

I have previously written about the misguided appointment of the evangelical Christian GP, Dr. Hans-Christian Raabe, to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.

A few days after my blog post on his views about homosexuality, he was sacked when the Council discovered that was an author of a study (devoid of any scientific merit) suggesting a link between homosexuality and paedophilia (which he had not declared on his application).

Dr Raabe invoked the usual tired canard about being discriminated against for his discriminating views: "In my case – holding on to traditional Christian views – I am being discriminated against by a Home Office Minister and am being sacrificed on the altar of political correctness".

Doctor who prosthelytises to patients refuses to accept warning from General Medical Council; gives interview he may regret

The General Practitioner, Richard Scott, has refused to accept any wrongdoing despite, in his own words, "a handful of complaints" for talking to patients about religious matters. The latest was brought about by a patient's mother who claimed the doctor "pushed religion" onto her son. Dr. Scott practises at the Bethesda Medical Centre in Margate, Kent, which is staffed by exclusively Christian doctors.

Dr. Scott at his surgery. Photo: Will Wintercross

The Daily Telegraph interview with Dr. Scott is fascinating to watch; it seems to show a doctor completely devoid of any insight or ability to admit (in the face of a letter from his regulatory body accusing him of harassment) even the slightest possibility that he might, just might, have acted inappropriately. It seems entirely lost upon him that there may frequently be a power-inequality between doctor and patient, particularly where patients are vulnerable, or that patients could be fearful of refusing his religious advice for fear this may prejudice their medical treatment. Given that the General Medical Council place heavy weight on whether the doctor has insight into his behaviour in decisions striking doctors from the register, he might well regret this interview. His sense of personal righteousness reminds me of an interview with Andrew Wakefield who similarly cannot countenance any shred of evidence that his fraudulant behaviour harmed others.

Instead of accepting a written warning, Dr. Scott has chosen to employ the services of the Christian Legal Centre to escalate what is currently a relatively minor professional censure. The Christian Legal Centre provides such valuable services as predicting civil unrest in the wake of the sacking of a sex therapist who discriminated against homosexual couples, and supporting Blasphemy Laws in the case of a Christian lady offended by an art installation of Jesus with an erection.

General Medical Council guidelines on personal beliefs of doctors are available here for Dr. Scott's perusal before any forthcoming hearings. The guidelines state that "You must not express to your patients your personal beliefs, including political, religious or moral beliefs, in ways that exploit their vulnerability or that are likely to cause them distress (paragraph 33)". It seems Dr. Scott's prosthelytising has caused distress in several cases, substantiating the charge by the GMC of bringing his profession into disrepute. Doctors should stick to their area of expertise and not dispense religous advice. After all, vicars, imams and scientology counsellors do not attempt to practice medicine.

"Priests for life" "save" Baby Joseph, the pro-life poster child

Peter Singer, professor of bioethics at Princeton, has a written an opinion piece examining a utilitarian analysis of what could have been achieved with the $150,000 Priests for Life spent on an operation for a child with no existing or anticipated quality of life. Hint: the answer is to have instead saved at least 150 lives worth living. Article here:

Attempted rescue of Baby Joseph Maraachli, pro-life poster child, is deeply misguided

And yes, this really is an image from the Priests for Life webpage.

Evangelical Christian GP appointed to Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs

Evan Harris has written in The Guardian on Dr. Hans-Christian Raabe, a member of the Maranatha community, a group peddling oddities such as "We see the threat to society of false gods, secular humanism, the abandonment of God's ways." More worrying than that are his views on homosexuals expressed in an article entitled ‘Gay marriage’ and homosexuality: Some medical comments. 

"While the majority of homosexuals are not involved in paedophilia, it is of grave concern that there is a disproportionately greater number of homosexuals among paedophiles and an overlap between the gay movement and the movement to make paedophilia acceptable."

Let's hope his command of evidence surrounding drug misuse is of greater standing than the arguments he derives concerning homosexuality. The drive of the religious to base policy on nonsensical and outmoded systems of thought means they deserve great scrutiny when appointed to public bodies (Dr. Raabe's group states that "We endeavour to let God write our agenda"). If he had a record of peer-reviewed research into drug policy, Dr. Raabe might qualify for our confidence. In the absence of any relevant expertise, he does not.

More medical miracles at the Vatican

These stories of the credulous are so silly as to be amusing if weren't for the afflicted often having serious diseases. This one, though, isn't even a case of remission. Apparently the case of Parkinsons disease, cured posthumously by John Paul II thereby allowing his beatification, wasn't Parkinsons but another neurological disorder from which the nun who was cured has now unfortunately relapsed.

Pope's prophylactic priorities

Number of new HIV infections worldwide since Pope's statement on condoms 1 month ago: 200,000.

Number of these due to male prostitution, for which Pope approves condoms as "a first step towards moralisation": overwelming minority.

Catholic hospital may lose status over 'abortion' to save mother's life

From Medical News Today via RDFS

Bishop Thomas Olmsted sounds like a chap with his priorities in the right order. In response to a case of fetal termination to save a mothers life, Olmstead states that CHW's "actions communicate to me that [the hospital does] not respect my authority to authentically teach and interpret moral law in this diocese."

I previously blogged on this case here.