vc318

Doctor Jack Cassell Refuses To Treat Obama Supporters

Doctor Jack Cassell Refuses To Treat Obama Supporters

Florida urologist Jack Cassell posted a sign on his office door reading, "If you voted for Obama ... seek urologic care elsewhere. Changes to your health care begin right now, not in four years."

Cassell, a registered Republican, quickly backpedaled in an interview with the Orlando Sentinel, but said he's perfectly happy to lose business over the sign. "I'm not turning anybody away, that would be unethical," he told the Sentinel. "But if they read the sign and turn the other way, so be it."

Patients who continue past the sign on Cassell's door find a waiting room stacked with Republican pamphlets opposing health care reform, underneath a sign reading, "This is what the morons in Washington have done to your health care. Take one, read it and vote out anyone who voted for it."

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) told the Sentinel he was "disgusted" by Cassell's behavior.

"Maybe he thinks the Hippocratic Oath says, 'Do no good'," Grayson said. "If this is the face of the right wing in America, it's the face of cruelty. ... Why don't they change the name of the Republican Party to the Sore Loser Party?"

What a terrible thing that this doctor is doing. He might as well come out and say, "I refuse to treat anyone who's of a certain skin color." Politics really needs to stay out of the workplace.

Callace

he really needs to get a grip.

And is what he is not-exactly-worried about "losing business"? He should be more concerned about scaring away people who needs help

sunnykerr

Well, he backpedaled pretty quickly, didn't he?

I'm glad he recognized that it's tremendously unethical to refuse to treat patients who need it, whatever the reasons may be for refusing to give treatment.

I'm kinda shocked that it's legal. I would have thought it was illegal of a doctor to refuse to treat a patient.

vc318

Yeah, I thought so too. Isn't your job as a doctor to help people who are sick? I think he should have no problem losing his business after this.

Callace

I'm shocked that it is leagl too, when you are But with everyuthing we have heard about american health care lately, I wasnt, originally Just assumed that this is another shortcoming of their system, that needs to be fixed somehow.

sunnykerr

It's just weird. Up here, if you're a nurse or a doctor, it's illegal for you to walk away from an accident scene without at least offering your professional help. The whole Good Samaritan thing.

So never mind denying care to a patient who shows up to your offices.

Callace

I've heard that doctors in america not only have no obligation to do that, but are even rec'ed not to get involved, since they can be sued for malpractice if they try and fail to save someone

so yeah, it's absurd, but by now I think it would take a lot for the US health system to shock me

sunnykerr

I don't really know what to add here.

Callace

no, what is there to say? Just got to hope for more health reform

obisgirl

wow.

sunnykerr

I know, right? Pretty insane.

Wildfire Girl

Just sad, even if it might have started for the right reasons

vc318

Like someone mentioned, doctors here wouldn't do that because of getting sued, which sadly happens.

sunnykerr

Oh, I know. I think we've talked about Good Samaritan laws before and how they're different from state to state and province to province but, basically, the generalized principle seems to be that, in Canada, you're in trouble with the law if you do nothing. In the United States, the laws are there to protect you from being sued should you try and do something.

It's odd. I've accepted that there's just two different ways to look at life there and that it's not the end of the world.

Meanwhile, I've seen that doctor, now, trying to explain to Alan Colmes (I saw a clip on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart) why the new health legislation will mean that old people are now to be tortured until they die from exhaustion and the pain of it all. And, I have to say, Colmes, whomever he is, got him pretty good. Essentially he's a douche who went in for his 15 minutes.