The geriatrics physician who plays politics with women’s reproductive health
Saturday February 18th 2006, 10:24 am

Dr John Obeid of Castle Hill NSW, is one of Mitchell MP Alan Cadman‘s medical advisors on the drug RU486. Obeid is a specialist in geriatric medicine who practises at Blacktown Hospital. One would have to wonder if Obeid frequently treats his elderly women patients for unwanted pregnancies.

Obeid appears to hold political advantage above his medical judgement. Obeid seems to have handed Cadman some very bent, cherry picked information about RU486. Obeid’s political aspirations (and quite possibly his religious affiliations) are made a bit more clear in this comment he sent to the Sydney Morning Herald:

Senator Kerry Nettle can only be described as a bigot for her disgraceful wearing of a T-shirt which abused a sacred symbol for Catholics for her own political purposes. She must publicly apologise to Catholics in Australia and her party leader. And the Senate President should demand that her religious vilification never occur again.

John Obeid Castle Hill

Really now, Dr Obeid? Bit of a red herring on Kerry Nettle- and a very belated one at that. Now, despite all your medical training, you’d have a politician, one merely appointed to the Health Minister portfolio, making decisions on approvals of new medications instead of the pharmacology experts at the Therapeutic Goods Administration?

Do tell.

So, should we start asking our physicians for their political opinions before discussing a proposed treatment plan, just in case their political and religious biases will guide their medical judgement instead of their medical training?

We bloody well should.

-weez 


3 Comments so far
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Young (and older) Christian Women are not offended by the t-shirt, given that
“But at the same time we’ve been reaffirming our position and our platform that has been adopted by the YWCA for some 30 years on pro-choice and access to safe and affordable abortions.” – Judy Swan, YWCA.

Comment by suki 02.18.06 @ 10:56 am

Suki, it is of paramount import that Christian organisations like YWCA are working to dispel the notion that it is impossible to be a pro-choice Christian. However, I simultaneously find it dismaying that YWCA saw the need to issue an apology for “offences” which were nothing but red-herring wedge politics. One cannot reasonably be offended by being confronted with their previously expressed political views.

The wording of the t-shirt merely expresses the well-known anti-abortion position of the Catholic church and the fact that Abbott in particular allowed his religious beliefs to interfere with his judgement as Health Minister. Not all users of medications are anti-choice Catholics, but all Australian users of medications, from 1996 to 2006, were subject to the whims of the Health Minister.

Make no mistake- had Abbott been able to separate his subjugation to his religious beliefs from his duties as Health Minister, there would never have been a need to introduce legislation to strip the ability to approve or deny new medications from the Health Minister’s authority.

Public law affects all citizens. Individual religious belief thus has no place in public law.

Comment by weezil 02.18.06 @ 12:40 pm

Obeid, Obeid I wonder if his medical judgment involves moving into politics in the new future,or be judged,which he has been in court.Not a very good start Dr Obeid!!

Comment by sti 07.31.10 @ 1:24 pm



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