ABSURD: Canadian doctor slapped with 3-month suspension for not using male pronouns to address female patient

A doctor in Canada was slapped with a three-month suspension for “misgendering” his female-to-male (FTM) transgender patient – a biological woman pretending to be a man.

On Jan. 3, the Quebec College of Physicians (CMQ) issued a suspension order to Dr. Raymond Briere after the Montreal family medicine physician said the truth about his FTM patient. He had been involved in an argument with the patient over the latter’s pronouns and biological sex. The CMQ is the body responsible for regulating physicians in the province.

According to the Epoch Times, the CMQ accused Briere of allegedly failing to “maintain impeccable conduct” and ending the transgender patient’s medical follow-up “in a manner that violated multiple articles of the Code of Ethics of Physicians.”

The transgender patient asked for a testosterone prescription from Briere, and informed the family doctor that he must use male pronouns to refer to her. The physician refused, saying that he had never prescribed hormones to someone who wanted to “transform into a gentleman.” He then raised concerns and warned that the testosterone hormone (as a therapy) could lead to aggressive behavior and changes in character.

The patient disputed this – telling the doctor that their “medical opinion was based on stereotypes.” During the consultation, which the patient recorded on their cellphone without the doctor’s knowledge, Briere and the patient started arguing, with the latter reminding the doctor that “he” is a “trans man.”

The doctor explained that “if a genetic analysis of the patient’s chromosomes was carried out,” the patient would be found to be “genetically female.” Briere reportedly also told the patient that their change in gender as being a “trans man” was “in your brain” and their body would “still have the two XX chromosomes rather than the XY chromosomes that males have.”

Briere punished for speaking the truth

The situation became heated when the doctor told the patient “he” could leave if “he” wanted. The doctor then said he had nothing to learn from “une patiente” – the female form of patient in French. The patient corrected the doctor using the male form of the word, but Briere replied: “A [female] patient until this day, you are a woman, dear madam.” When the patient tried to correct the doctor again, Briere replied that the patient was “biologically a woman.”

By the end of the meeting, Briere suggested a colleague who was more experienced in hormone therapy but refused to make the referral himself. Briere then told the patient he would no longer act as “his” family doctor. “[The patient] recorded on her [cellphone] our conversation, which is illegal. Absolute breaking of confidence,” Briere then wrote on the patient’s file.

The CMQ’s three-person panel found Briere guilty on two counts.

The first count cited his “failure to maintain impeccable conduct toward the patient by exhibiting inappropriate and disrespectful behavior, thereby violating Articles 4, 17 and 18 of the Code of Ethics and Article 59.2 of the Professional Code.”

The second count cited his “termination of the patient’s medical follow-up without ensuring that another physician or professional could continue it [care and services], contravening Articles 33 and 35 of the Code of Ethics.”

“This case calls into question the rights of the patient, the doctor’s obligations toward the patient to whom he provides care and services and the doctor-patient relationship,” the CMQ noted in making its ruling.

“If the patient believes that their gender identity does not correspond to the sex appearing on their birth certificate, they can request that they be designated by the identity they express. The medical encounter must then take place while respecting this identity of gender – whether or not the patient has undergone any medical treatment or surgical intervention in connection with this identity.”

Briere pleaded guilty on both counts. Aside from the suspension, the panel also ordered that a “notice of the decision” be published in newspapers circulating in the areas where Briere practices. The doctor would be shouldering the costs of this endeavor, as per the panel.

yogaesoteric
January 28, 2024