Sexual Abuse and Misconduct by Medical Professionals

Sexual Abuse and Misconduct by Medical Professionals
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Sexual Abuse and Misconduct by Medical Professionals
Different offenses can be committed in every professional. When health professionals start to harm their patients sexually, it can be termed as an ethical violation. Professional sexual misconduct has extensive damage to the patients and health industry at large. Notably, when patients are sexually preyed on by medical practitioners, there are probabilities that they will never have confidence in them again. Confidence and trust are some of the entities that are vital in the medical profession. Patients have the right to know that the doctors attending to them will not harm them in any way. There are various cases of medical misconduct across America and the world at large. The objective of this paper is to review a case scenario on medical misconduct in Michigan state.
Synopsis of the Case
John Barto, a pediatrician doctor, was detained for more than 70 years due to sexual misconduct in Pennsylvania. John Barto abused more than 300 victims, and the case was termed as second of having the most significant number in history after Larry Nassar (Carome, 2019). He was a pediatrician doctor, and most of the time, he dealt with children. Before the case of sexual misconduct, the perpetrator maintained that he was doing appropriate medical procedures. However, Barto was judged with ten first-degree sexual misconduct. Some misconducts were penetrating young girls with figures and touching their breasts (the main complaint from all the witnesses). First-degree punishment occurs when a perpetrator engages in sexual affairs with someone between 10 to 15 years. Additionally, according to the jury, John Barto had authority in his profession, something he used to coerce the patients (Carome, 2019). However, in most cases, the sexual assault occurred in examination rooms or local hospitals.
Analysis
State lawmakers play an integral role in ensuring that patients are protected. They provide laws that help end physician-patient abuse in all the states across America (Teegardin & Datar, 2016). Unfortunately, there are no laws passed in Pennsylvania to protect patients from being preyed on by medical practitioners. However, the laws are not practiced as required, and patients will rely on the courts to get a fair trial in courts. Surprisingly, unlike Michigan and several other states, Pennsylvania does not have legal requirements to end sexual abuse by medical practitioners (Skipper & Schenthal, 2012). For example, Doctor John Barto was accused of defiling young girls and fondling women’s breasts early in 2000, and no action was taken. Until the new cases of the 300 children came to the limelight after ten years.
Typically, the state has not set ...