Doctor ousted for talking about risks of LGBT behavior

A doctor has been dismissed from his post at a major Boston hospital for speaking the truth about the dangers of the LGBT lifestyle.

The decision by the board of directors at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center regarding Dr. Paul Church, who also is on the faculty of Harvard Medical School, was reported by Mass Resistance, a team of activists who have been monitoring the long-running case.

WND recently reported the board was holding a hearing on Church's future after he appealed his dismissal for citing federal government statistics about the dangers of homosexual activity.

He had been on the staff of the Boston hospital for nearly 30 years before his removal, which was triggered by his reference to government statistics showing that the "gay" lifestyle poses deadly health risks.

Church earlier described the campaign against him as "almost a fascist effort at mind control."

The facts, he contends, are on his side.

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"Although it has declined over the past few decades, two-thirds of all new HIV/AIDS infections in the U.S. are the result of men having sex with men. Fifty percent of 'gay' men will be infected with HIV by age 50. Those numbers are out there and they are staggering," he said.

The statistics come from the federal Centers for Disease Control.

The hospital said his statements were "offensive."

Church said in a statement released through Mass Resistance that the hospital "no longer has room for the open, honest and respectful discussion of medical issues or personal beliefs, nor a true fidelity to its stated mission of promoting healthy choices and lifestyles. Instead, it has chosen the path of political correctness and the promotion of a social agenda unrelated to the practice of medicine or the advancement of healthcare and the public welfare."

He had raised the issue of the hospital's promotion of various "gay" pride events.

The CDC and others have documented that people who engage in the sexual activities practiced predominantly by the LGBT community have increased risk of psychiatric disorders and of contracting deadly STDs such as HIV/AIDS, anal cancer, parasitic infections and hepatitis.

"The medical community should be cautioning people to avoid and abstain from a behavior that is high risk," Church said.

"Just because it has become politically correct and sexual orientation has been written into anti-discrimination laws is not a reason for the medical profession to be promoting and encouraging these risky behaviors. On the contrary they should be cautioning people about it and offer help to reduce the risk. But the idea that a major medical center is a propaganda tool for pro-'gay' activities is just beyond me."

He continued: "We don't have a smoker's celebration so why do we have a 'gay' pride celebration? The political agenda is superseding common sense."

He also expressed concern that the hospital's actions could be viewed as harassment by employees who are members of faith communities that don't promote homosexuality.

Hospital officials responded by saying his complaints about harassment were harassment.

"I was told that my comments about the dangers of homosexual behavior constituted 'discrimination and harassment' and were considered to be 'offensive to BIDMC staff' and would not be tolerated. Yet what was amazing is no one has ever disputed the accuracy of my statements regarding the health risks of 'gay' sex," he said.

Mass Resistance pointed out that the hospital "never disputed the truth of Dr. Church's statements."

"Nor did they claim that he ever discussed this with patients or treated them differently. Instead, the hospital took extraordinary steps first to silence him and then to expel him on a ludicrous charge of making 'offensive' remarks. Over months of hearings and appeals, the hospital wouldn't relent."

Church described the hospital's actions as "aggressive institutional endorsements and annual promotions surrounding lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender activities within and outside the medical center, including the vulgar Boston Pride parade, to the exclusion of medical facts and traditional values."

He said his challenge was for the hospital to be "more truthful" about the negative health consequences and "more respectful" of religious diversity.

He said he will continue his medical work elsewhere "and will continue to fulfill my responsibility as a doctor by advocating for healthy and moral choices."

The founder of Mass Resistance, Brian Camenker, delivered more than 4,000 petition signatures to the hospital demanding Church be reinstated.

And the American Association of Physicians and Surgeons noted: "There were no issues related to patient care, and no accusations of discriminating against anyone. As previously noted by AAPS, Dr. Church had simply used the hospital's communication system to warn of undisputed health risks and to protest the hospital's promotion of unhealthy behavior and lifestyles."

AAPS executive director Jane Orient, M.D., commented that if Church had "conveyed concerns about smoking, there would have been no problem."

"But telling the politically incorrect truth about even larger risks can end a distinguished career," she said.

WND reported the problem began more than 10 years ago when BIDMC began promoting LGBT activities, including Boston's annual "Gay Pride Week."

Church expressed concerns to hospital officials and on the hospital's Intranet, noting that by supporting homosexual activities and strongly encouraging staff participation, the administration was acting against its mission statement.

After all, medical evidence shows homosexual activities are destructive, he said.