The Oregon Medical Association has introduced new ethics rules threatening to revoke the medical licenses of doctors who commit “microaggressions” in the workplace.
A bill first introduced in April would require doctors to report “unprofessional or disgraceful conduct” by themselves or a licensed colleague within 10 business days. Failure to do so would result in disciplinary action, including possible loss of medical license, according to the bill.
Under the rulesthe term “unprofessional conduct” would be expanded to include “discrimination in the practice of medicine, podiatry, and acupuncture” due to “unfair treatment characterized by implicit and explicit bias, including microaggressions, or indirect or subtle behaviors that reflect negative attitudes or beliefs toward non-majority groups.”
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According to the proposal, if doctors fail to comply with the mandatory rules, they could face disciplinary action, including revocation of their medical licenses. (Hannah McKay-Pool/Getty Images)
Discrimination, as defined in the proposal, refers to “differences in the quality of care provided that are not due to access-related factors or clinical need, preference, appropriateness, or intervention.”
The standard outlined by the committee refers to “indirect or subtle behavior that reflects negative attitudes or beliefs toward non-majority groups.”
“The proposed rule could have a positive impact on racial equity by making discrimination a basis for OMB licensing disciplinary action,” the proposal states.
Fox News contributor and law professor Jonathan Turley said: A long post on his blog On Tuesday, he cited free speech concerns about using “one of the most vaguely defined categories of speech” to discipline health care workers.
George Washington University constitutional law scholar Jonathan Turley testifies before the House Judiciary Committee on December 4, 2019, at the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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“The inclusion of microaggressions in the new ethics code is exactly what some of us have been warning about for years. As is often the case, activists argue that language monitoring is purely directive and voluntary, and then codify the code into mandatory rules,” Turley wrote.
Turley has previously criticized “microaggression” rules on college campuses, calling them “hopelessly vague” and highly controversial.
“That ambiguity creates a threat to free speech through its chilling effect on speakers who don’t know what constitutes a microaggression,” he warned.
“A variety of terms have been declared racist, from phrases like ‘melting pot’ to ‘stand up for yourself,’ some of which have been identified by Columbia University professor Derald Wing Sue, who has been cited by the Oregon government as an ‘expert on microaggressions.'”
“The concern about free speech is how such microaggressions could be used to suppress or punish speech, including supporting complaints that call for formal investigations.”
Turley reminded readers that the Hippocratic Oath is based on a promise by doctors to “first do no harm,” adding that if implemented, the rule would effectively turn doctors into “social warrior informants.”
“Unfortunately, this pledge does not appear to apply to free speech in Oregon,” he argued. “Rather than simply airing their opinions about words or actions that may be considered microaggressions, the Oregon Medical Association is attempting to impose vague speech restrictions that some physicians may see as casting them as social warrior snitches.”
The Oregon Medical Board is scheduled to consider adopting the rule permanently at its July 11 meeting. Free Beacon reported.
Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, a former vice dean at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, told the outlet that Oregon’s attempt to punish microaggressions so harshly could have a “chilling” effect on medicine and prevent doctors from providing optimal care.
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“Doctors need to be able to speak openly and honestly with their patients,” he told the Free Beacon. “If doctors feel they will be punished for delivering bad news or saying things that patients may misunderstand, it will limit free speech and ultimately harm the patient-doctor relationship.”
The Oregon Medical Board did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
