“If you only trust the TV and the radio; these days you can’t see who’s in cahoots; ‘cos the KKKwears three-piece suits”- Rebirth, Public Enemy
Trust is an integral part of health care
delivery. In fact, doctors are consistently rated amongst the most trusted
professionals in public opinion polls. So consider the prospect of your local
doctor being part of a group who wore sheets on their heads and preached racial
intolerance? Unacceptable? Clearly. But what if a group with similar levels of
intolerance called themselves ‘doctors for the family’ and chose to hide in
plain sight?
The Klu Klux Klan (KKK) almost seems to
belong to a different era. It was in 1991 that hip-hop group ‘Public Enemy’
referred to KKK philosophy infiltrating mainstream elite society in America.(1)
Sadly, this prophecy was already a reality in various communities around the
world.
In the early 1990’s in Australia, the KKK
lacked a public presence but racial prejudice still had a very public profile.
In 1995, an AFL player reported being called a ‘nigger’ in the national
competition (the sports highest level).(2) And in 1996, Collingwood
player Damien Monkhorst publicly apologized to Essendon player Michael Long for
calling him a ‘black bastard.’
In September 1996(3), racial
intolerance gained a very public endorsement from none other than a politician
addressing the parliament. It was an insidious, damaging and reprehensible
speech that gained notoriety through the normalization of bigotry. No longer
easily identifiable by choice of costume, intolerance had become widespread.
Fast forward to 2012. Racial prejudice still
occurs but is frowned upon in social and sporting circles alike. Intolerance
prospers however, in many different forms.
A group of medical doctors (called ‘doctors
for the family’) decided to publicize their intolerance of homosexuality in a
recent submission to parliament. Unacceptable? Clearly. Yet the group of
doctors who signed the petition to parliament have not been subject to
investigation by an ethical standards committee. Unsurprisingly, no sporting
star was vilified in the ‘doctors for the family’ submission to parliament on
the basis of their sexual preference.
One of the roles of the medical board of
Australia is to uphold the ethical standards of the profession. When a medical
doctor strays beyond the boundary of a guideline and beyond the boundary of
acceptable behavior its labeled professional misconduct. As follows:
Placing the public at risk of harm because of practice in a way
that constitutes a significant departure from accepted professional standards
(s.140(d))
Surely, there is no greater example of
professional misconduct than using your status to perpetuate and incite
intolerance – placing marginalized individuals at risk of harm.
It is time for the medical fraternity to
take a stand. In order to maintain the level of trust afforded by society, our
ethical standards cannot be compromised. It is the responsibility of the
medical governing body to take action against the doctors involved with this
submission and restrict their registration. When such intolerance becomes normalized
and acceptable it can take generations to amend. I want to believe I can trust
my doctor, don’t you?
(1)
Apocalypse 91 – the enemy
strikes black. Public Enemy. Lyrics: Chuck D
(2)
Derek Kickett (May 1995)
playing for Sydney Swans against Collingwood
(3)
Pauline Hanson, maiden
speech to House of Representatives
