Date: Thu, 17 Mar 1994 15:13:02 EST From: Robert Riley Subject: Physician sexual abuse of AIDS patient -- PRESS RELEASE PRESS RELEASE MONDAY, 14 March 1994, 11:30 a.m. Toronto City Hall Committee Room 4 Health care professionals, HIV Positive and Gay Communities call for appeal of Genereux decision. The recent decision of the College of Physicians and Surgeons to suspend Doctor Maurice Genereux's license for 9 months after repeated incidents of sexual misconduct with HIV positive patients has outraged professionals, PWA's (People With AIDS) and the gay and lesbian communities. "The lightness of the College's penalty is astounding," says Doctor Jeff Bloom of the Department of Family and Community Medicine of the Toronto Hospital speaking on behalf of scores of health care practitioners. He went on to say "It has instilled a feeling of outrage in the medical community. It also implies a double standard -- abusing gay men does not warrant the same penalty as victimizing women." "These men were already facing a horrendous life-threatening illness and frequently felt ostracized by the medical community because of their illness and their sexual orientation; then to be sexually abused by their caregiver was immeasurably damaging. This was made worse by the fact they had few options for alternative caregivers at that time," said Doctor Jeff Bloom. City Councillor Kyle Rae said "not only does this decision degrade gay men, but it sets a worrying precedent for women brining charges against doctors in the future. If this type of conduct does not result in a mandatory revocation of a license, what deters continuing abuse of patients?" he went on to say "the time has come to stop treating gay men as pariah that can be treated with such contempt. Clearly this decision should be appealed to the Health Disciplines Board." Ms McPhedran, the lawyer who chaired Canada's first inquiry into the sexual abuse of patients observed that "the College's own lawyer seems to have been enticed to place undue trust in the mythology of rehabilitation of sex offenders -- under the new law, the College would have been compelled to revoke this doctor's license." The process for appealing a decision of the College depends on a complainant initiating the action with the Health Disciplines Board, in the absence of willing complainants coming forward, the Ministry of Health has a duty to initiate such a review in the public interest. For more information contact: Kyle Rae 392-7903 In Attendance: Jeff Bloom, M.D.; Marilou McPhedran, Chairperson of the Task Force on Sexual Abuse of Patients; David Kelley, Executive Director Toronto PWA Foundation; Kyle Rae, City Councillor (Toronto); Bill Flanagan, Chair AIDS Committee of Toronto ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Robert Riley Telephone: (416) 534-5897 85 Dunn Avenue, Suite #2 Facsimile: (416) 534-8019 Toronto, Ontario Canada M6K 2R8 Internet: riley@chicken.planet.org ----------------------------------------------------------------------