My family doctor was arrested for rape Update 10/29

[tinatark]

Front page of the local papers today - makes me ill to think of it...

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/mar/12/sevier-doctor-charged-with-rape/

 

[SharkyGoddess]

Front page of the local papers today - makes me ill to think of it...

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/mar/12/sevier-doctor-charged-with-rape/

This one's a tough call for me. I had a friend right out of high school dx'd with prostate cancer. THANKFULLY it was caught earlier enough to save his life!

Maybe there's more to the story, but the "exam" part sounded routine, imo.

 

[lovesmurfs]

Maybe there's more to the story, but the "exam" part sounded routine, imo.

That was my thought, too. I'm not a guy, but isn't that the "turn your head and cough" part?

 

[tinatark]

I think there is more - he is one of those guys - we all know the type, they "seem" gay even if they're not - mannerisms, voice, etc... kwim? that's the first impression many people get.

I am torn between thinking it's patients uncomfortable with his exams and thinking he went too far. We joked that he had a fixation on xxxxxxx - but had also heard that his brother died/suffered from testicular cancer at a young age, so that could also be a factor in his "thoroughness" - if that's what it is.

The problem is, this is a VERY SMALL town - even if he is found not guilty, he will never practice (successfully) here again.

He has been a good doctor - has call in office hours for established patients, and DH takes meds for cholesterol - he goes every 6 months for blood work, then a week or so later for follow up.

He has a wife and 2 teenage daughters - I think one of the girls graduated last year, and the other is a junior or senior in high school.

 

[clarabelle]

Not to highjack tinatark.
But I know a couple of those kinds of people -the "effeminate heterosexual" type guys and it is an enigma to me.
I know it is none of my business -but I always wonder are they really gay? Does the wife care? or notice? or like it? Would it be more like being married to a girlfriend?
I just find it interesting

 

[corndog]

This is a total ripoff of a Family Guy episode.

Quahog becomes the subject of a flu epidemic, and Peter goes to see Dr. Hartman for a vaccine. Although they are in short supply, and the elderly must therefore take priority, Peter manages to get one anyway (by pretending to fall onto the syringe). While looking through Peter's papers, Hartman realizes that Peter needs a prostate exam. Peter agrees to get one, despite not knowing what it is. Peter is shocked by the concept of the exam, feeling he was sexually violated after Hartman puts his finger up his anus. Upon running home (naked) to tell Lois about his ordeal, she is non-supportive, much to his disappointment. He then suffers a nervous meltdown and later, resorts to informing his friends about the incident, to which they tell him Hartman "raped" them too. As a result of this, Peter decides to sue Hartman in a court of law, with Lois unable to talk him out of it.

In the courtroom, Peter unintentionally exaggerates the story. The judge is not convinced, and even recalls his own prostate exam being uneventful. However, after further prompting from Peter, the judge "remembers" being abused and declares Hartman guilty, revoking his license. As Peter celebrates his victory at The Drunken Clam, his frequent need to urinate causes concern among his friends, where Seamus informs him that his prostate may be infected. However, his lawsuit makes it unlikely that any doctor would treat him, and indeed, not one does. Even Dr. McCoy refuses. Peter visits Dr. Hartman in disguise and unsuccessfully tries to trick him, but the doctor decides that his Hippocratic Oath requires him to go ahead with the examination anyway. In the epilogue, his license is reinstated.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stewie_Loves_Lois

 

[NY Disney fan]

My family dentist was arrested for rape 2 years ago. He was drugging a female patient and having his way with her. The patient's husband discovered that his wife did not come home and went back to the dentist's office long after they closed. The door was open though and that's when he found his wife being violated and she was unconscious.

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

I'm a little lost as to where "gay" fits in here... but no matter. I'm easily lost.

I would think any doc would have another staff member in the room before performing any sort of exam that encompassed certain areas of the body. That's just standard medical practice.

 

[whogirl'smom]

I'm so sorry, tinatark. I saw that on the news this morning, too. The first thing dh said was "there's got to be more to it". We both used to work in the court system and obviously what is on the news is never even close to the whole story.

And re: the pp and the Family Guy episode: surely they wouldn't try to pull this off in real life??? Although I have seen lies happen that led to court action and the persona being found eventually not guilty. I hope the truth, one way or another, comes out.

 

[disneymarie]

I think there is more - he is one of those guys - we all know the type, they "seem" gay even if they're not - mannerisms, voice, etc... kwim? that's the first impression many people get.

I am torn between thinking it's patients uncomfortable with his exams and thinking he went too far. We joked that he had a fixation on xxxxxxx - but had also heard that his brother died/suffered from testicular cancer at a young age, so that could also be a factor in his "thoroughness" - if that's what it is.

The problem is, this is a VERY SMALL town - even if he is found not guilty, he will never practice (successfully) here again.

He has been a good doctor - has call in office hours for established patients, and DH takes meds for cholesterol - he goes every 6 months for blood work, then a week or so later for follow up.

He has a wife and 2 teenage daughters - I think one of the girls graduated last year, and the other is a junior or senior in high school.

It seems to be targeting the younger men patients. The risk is low and what were the original complaints. If you have a soar throat why a lower exam? The victims are very young not 50 year old men.

I bet he did not do an exam on the OP husband for cholesterol.
I believe too we trust our doctors and may be given parts of exams that we may question, but trust the doctor, he does take an oath after all....

Frightening...also trying to locate another doctor, staff being laid off , the stigma for his family......what a shame. He was fixated on coping a feel from these young men.

 

[MushyMushy]

My family doctor that I grew up seeing was arrested for pedophilia. He always gave me the creeps, but I brushed it off as just hating to go to the doctor's office.

 

[tinatark]

It seems to be targeting the younger men patients. The risk is low and what were the original complaints. If you have a soar throat why a lower exam? The victims are very young not 50 year old men.

I bet he did not do an exam on the OP husband for cholesterol.
I believe too we trust our doctors and may be given parts of exams that we may question, but trust the doctor, he does take an oath after all....

Frightening...also trying to locate another doctor, staff being laid off , the stigma for his family......what a shame. He was fixated on coping a feel from these young men.

(Trying not to be graphic)

He didn't do "that" exam for the cholesterol screening, but does want his patients to undergo full physicals annually.

 

[jax677]

I thought all men from teen on got the turn your head and cough exam once a year. Or is this not the trouble? Isn't a physical once a year a good idea? I am just confused by the article. I know we can't know all the small details and that may be what makes me wonder. Its sad that if this isn't true it will ruin so many people. If it is, the same.

 

[RadioNate]

It seems to be targeting the younger men patients. The risk is low and what were the original complaints. If you have a soar throat why a lower exam? The victims are very young not 50 year old men.

I bet he did not do an exam on the OP husband for cholesterol.
I believe too we trust our doctors and may be given parts of exams that we may question, but trust the doctor, he does take an oath after all....

Frightening...also trying to locate another doctor, staff being laid off , the stigma for his family......what a shame. He was fixated on coping a feel from these young men.

I believe that testicular cancer usually strikes YOUNG men not 50 year olds. According to Wikipedia (I know ) its victims are generally between 15-40 and most fall w/in the mid 20's.

I understand the prostate exam is usually reserved for older men but I don't see anything in the article that screams guilty to me.

These are not comfortable exams and men don't generally talk about what happens with eachother.

What I do find suspicious is that there was no one else in the room during those exams. At least the article didn't mention that. My ob/gyn ALWAYS has a nurse present in the exam room for 'full' exams to prevent these type of accusations.

I'm reserving judgement on this one until more facts come out.

I actually know a male teacher (who was not 'out' but commonly believed to be gay) who went to jail for molestation after 3 boys accused him. All 3 boys had failed his class. Several years later as the boys grew up one by one (separately) they came forward and said that they didn't like him and made it all up. He was released but lost years of his life.

 

[Jennasis]

This is exactly what happened on Family Guy. So strange.

 

[Todd&Copper]

I'm a little lost as to where "gay" fits in here... but no matter. I'm easily lost.

I would think any doc would have another staff member in the room before performing any sort of exam that encompassed certain areas of the body. That's just standard medical practice.

I *think* the idea is that maybe the effite male is questioning his sexuality, perhaps, or ashamed of his possible sexual orientation, or afeared of being "teh gay" and the prostate exam made him supremely uncomfortable to the point that he may be exaggerating what happened.

Not knowing any of the details of this case, and being well aware of the fact that there are doctors who rape or sexually assault their patients, I am not saying that is what is going on here, just that I interpreted this as having been presented as a possible scenario.

 

[Buckalew11]

Wow. I don't take the Sentinal right now--just the Times and have not seen the paper today. If true, I'm glad he got caught. If false, I am sorry he is probably ruined.

 

[Jenvenza]

I think they will have to go back and look and records and see what these young men were in for in the first place. Like someone else said, if it was for a sore throat, then it isnt going to be good. If it was a annual physical, then it might be nothing. I don't know. This is a hard one to call.

 

[Carly_Roach]

I'm so sorry, tinatark. I saw that on the news this morning, too. The first thing dh said was "there's got to be more to it". We both used to work in the court system and obviously what is on the news is never even close to the whole story.

That's the first thing I thought too when I read the news story.

The problem is, this is a VERY SMALL town - even if he is found not guilty, he will never practice (successfully) here again.

We're repeating the "cry witch" mentality of the 1600's as well as the McCarthyism that happened in the 1950's. If you're accused of it and arrested for it, you must be guilty. It happens all the time, even here on the DIS:

Frightening...also trying to locate another doctor, staff being laid off , the stigma for his family......what a shame. He was fixated on coping a feel from these young men.

For disneymarie, this man is guilty until proven innocent simply because he was arrested because of an accusation.

None of us were there, none of us know what's really going on, none of us know the doctor OR his accusers. All we know is just what another poster reads in the newspaper. Yet this stranger is already convicted of being "fixated on coping a feel" and is looked upon as if he's done what he's accused of.

 

[ameraumi]

I'm a little lost as to where "gay" fits in here... but no matter. I'm easily lost.

I would think any doc would have another staff member in the room before performing any sort of exam that encompassed certain areas of the body. That's just standard medical practice.

But that is not always true. My GYN's NP is the only person in the room during my exam. I guess my GYN's office is not up to par but I like them just the same.

I don't know how I feel about this. I can see a teenager blowing this out of proportion.