Dr. Terry Bennett is a local physician - he practices less than 20 minutes away in an old house, which has been turned into a clinic. He calls it “The Clinic on the Common.” One of my sons sees him, and although this son finds fault with everyone, he likes Dr. Bennett.

What I’ve read about him has made me realize that he’s quite a character … really sensitive people should stay away! >;o)

For those who don’t know the story, Dr. Bennett has a habit of being blunt. Very blunt. During a consult with an obese patient, he made a comment which could be loosely paraphrased as: if you don’t lose your weight, and your husband dies, only [a certain race I won't mention] men will want anything to do with you.

Yes, he could certainly have been more circumspect, but he’s known for not being too terribly polite, and I would imagine that his patients would know that better than anyone. His intent was to rattle his patient enough to shock her into behavior that would probably save her life. The lady went ballistic, and reported him. The board was embarrassed, but pursued the matter all the same. They wanted him to apologize to her … he wouldn’t.

Here are a few more articles besides the one I’ve provided:

Doctor Alleged Mocked Obese Woman
Judge strikes down rules requiring doctors to be respectful
Court says stop case against rude doctor *** good article - even has a picture

And here’s a few pieces from last year, when the hubbub first began:

Rochester Doctor’s Advice to Patient on Obesity Lands Him in Hot Water
Why is Terry Bennett Being Persecuted - Must read!

(Two articles directly above are from one of his patients, I believe. He made this website for him: Have Nots for Dr. Bennett … very interesting!)

And now, the article that appeared in our local paper this morning:

Court orders state to stop disciplinary case against Rochester doctor (Registration required)

By DAVID TIRRELL-WYSOCKI Associated Press Writer

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A judge has ordered the state Board of Medicine to stop disciplinary proceedings against a Rochester doctor accused by several patients of making offensive remarks.

Judge Edward Fitzgerald made it clear he did not condone remarks attributed to Dr. Terry Bennett, and found them unnecessary, but ruled Bennett had a right to speak bluntly.

“It is nonetheless important, as a general matter, to ensure that physicians and patients are free to discuss matters relating to health without fear of government reprisal, even if such discussions may sometimes be harsh, rude or offensive to the listener,” he concluded in a 17-page ruling released Thursday.

Fitzgerald also ruled the regulations under which the state investigated Bennett were so vague they violated his constitutional rights and that Bennett probably would have won his challenges before the board.

The complaints against Bennett included charges that he told a woman she was so obese she might only be attractive to black men, that he suggested that a woman recovering from brain surgery could shoot herself to end her suffering, and that he spoke harshly to a woman about how her son might have contracted hepatitis.

Bennett claimed victory.

“It’s pretty clear,” he said in a telephone interview. “The question now is: Will the board waste more of your and my tax dollars and appeal this, or accept done as done?”

Either way, he said the case is not over for him. If the board does not appeal, he said he plans to sue everyone involved for “malicious prosecution.”

If it does appeal, he said he will wait until the final outcome before acting.

“I am not inclined to be forgiving about it,” he said. “It’s been devastating and infuriating.”

Assistant Attorney General Elyse Alkalay, who represented the board in the court case, said she was reviewing the ruling and expected it would take several days to decide whether to appeal.

Posted: Friday, July 7th, 2006 at 10:39 am under: Cut Me Some Slack ..., Health & Medicine. Comment Feed (RSS 2.0). Interact: Comment or Trackback.