dr reprimanded for sterilizing patient with "learning disabilities"

[Amby 490]

The Arkansas State Medical Board has reprimanded an obstetrician who once practiced in Berryville after she admitted to secretly tying the fallopian tubes of a patient with learning difficulties.

Dr. Shirolyn Ruth Moffett, who now has a private practice in Eureka Springs, performed the procedure on a patient last year during a Caesarean section. A split medical board vote 6-5 Thursday to place the reprimand on Moffett's permanent record, but it doesn't stop her from practicing medicine.

Moffett says she performed the procedure because she feared the lining of the patient's uterus would burst if she got pregnant again.

Moffett has resigned from her post at St. John's Hospital in Berryville. She also has decided never to deliver babies again.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,400027,00.html

[MrsCat 6]

What's sad about this - is that had she been grossly negligent in the way she performed the surgery, she probably would have lost her license. I guess failing to get consent to perform a surgery really isn't that bad - what a joke that reviewing panel is. That's so beyond unethical.

[maggieNomar 0]

Amen to that Cat!!

[Chica Yeyé 41]

Somebody should tie HER tubes what a b1tch.

[Niels Bohr 72]

She's a ###### for delivering babies. And, to prevent sick people from having babies. ROFL.

[Chica Yeyé 41]

She's a ###### for delivering babies. And, to prevent sick people from having babies. ROFL.

Who the FFF made you and her God? I didn't get the memo.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

She's a ###### for delivering babies. And, to prevent sick people from having babies. ROFL.

Who the FFF made you and her God? I didn't get the memo.

His English isn't so good, who knows what he really meant.

[Marilyn. 340]

a doctor doesn't have the right to operate on you without your permission...

like what if something went wrong.. that doctor would have been in so much more trouble...

[Peikko 1,575]

I am not sure that this version of the story is very complete.

The woman had learning difficulties and the pertinant part of the story for me was this bit: "Moffett says she performed the procedure because she feared the lining of the patient's uterus would burst if she got pregnant again."

Who knows what the guardians of this patient were like? Were they religious and didn't believe in birth control? Why was she pregnant 'again'? Was this an abortion proceedure?

If all these questions give an answer that suggests that the tying of the fallopian tubes was malicious then fine, but if for some reason the Dr sincerely believed what she was doing was in the best medical interests of someone incapable of making that decision themselves then that's slightly different and the reprimand is more understandable.

Edited August 11, 2008 by Purple_Hibiscus

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

I am not sure that this version of the story is very complete.

The woman had learning difficulties and the pertinant part of the story for me was this bit: "Moffett says she performed the procedure because she feared the lining of the patient's uterus would burst if she got pregnant again."

Who knows what the guardians of this patient were like? Were they religious and didn't believe in birth control? Why was she pregnant 'again'? Was this an abortion proceedure?

If all these questions give an answer that suggests that the tying of the fallopian tubes was malicious then fine, but if for some reason the Dr sincerely believed what she was doing was in the best medical interests of someone incapable of making that decision themselves then that's slightly different and the reprimand is more understandable.

Good post. Food for thought.

[Empress of Groovy 373]

Yes, it doesn't appear that this article was written by someone familiar w/ medical issues. I don't think that uterine lining "bursts." A lot of other stuff does, but not the uterine lining (maybe she said uterus? fallopian tubes? something else?).

Still, medical ethics is tricky. It would be interesting to know the full story. I don't think it's here.

Edited August 11, 2008 by Big Agnes!