Odd question from Doctor

I took my youngest son (9 yrs old) to the Doctor for a physical yesterday so he could play football. During the exam she casually asked my son if there were any guns in our home. My son said Yes mam. She looked towards me to see my reaction. I was a bit caught off gaurd by the whole thing. I answered " Yes I have guns in my home. I like to hunt". She said" Are they locked up?". I said "of course they are locked up, my boys are too young to handle firearms at their age." She then changed the subject.

Now I am sure that this was all meant to help educate idiots about firearm safety around children, but this is the first time I have ever been asked anything like that from a Doctor. I was too shocked by it to even ask why she asked, but after I left it really ticked me off that they would ask a personal question like that from my child.

Has the system gotten so big that they believe we cannot raise our own children properly? I understand that there are people out there who shouldn't have children, but this was insulting to me.

reply to post by Daz3d-n-Confus3d


I would send a letter to your State Medical Board outlining your concerns...

That was very unprofessional as you are not paying her for her opinion on the Second Amendment...

And YOU are paying her after all..

Semper

reply to post by Daz3d-n-Confus3d


That's unbelievably inappropriate. I would alert the supervisors and health board immediately. How is that in any way related to your child's health (I know the obvious answer)? But to me, it sounds as if this Dr. is trying to indirectly question your parenting.

That is very strange. Did your son have any rashes or anything that perhaps could have been caused by handling guns or ammo?

I know hindsight is a great thing but it might have been an idea to ask why they asked there and then.

I'd personally call the doctor, explain your concerns about the questioning and hopefully get a satisfactory answer.

Take care,

MGGG

reply to post by Daz3d-n-Confus3d


I'm not saying you did anything or you're a crappy parent or anything like that, but did you give the doctor any reason at all to believe you abuse the child? Bruising or anything? Or is the child handicapped at all? Again, I don't know you at all. I'm not questioning your parenting.

The reason I ask is that we're told if there is any sign at all of something being wrong regarding a child to contact child services immediately, just to be safe. You should see how often it happens.

Maybe something tragic has happened in her personal life that envolved guns and she just wants to do a good humane act by asking and educating. But it does sound kinda off to me, maybe you should go check out the laws in your state about that. But lucky thing you were there, you don't know what other kind of questions she would have asked if you weren't.

reply to post by SantaClaus


I completely agree with Santa! Report Her!
This is an attrocity. Not only are there Child Support Service workers who just want to split up families for bogus claims, but the medical community is getting in on this too? This is absolutely absurd .... asinine.

There is such a thing as privacy, but now every professional views it as their duty to abridge this right.

Who knows if she made your son more interested in guns now! Her questioning could lead to an inquisitive child, which could lead to an unfortunate accident.

If she had reason to question you (like a gunshot!), then she should have done that in private. Otherwise, she had no Motive to ask you about guns.

It sounds like she was trying to push an agenda, which is not what doctors are there for.

I wonder if she could lose her license for this.
It is also possible that you could sue her for breech of conduct.

We have been using this Doctor for over 4 years. There was no unusual marks or bruising on my child. I also go to her partner who is my family Doctor. I have been going there for over 12 years and know everyone in the office very well. My wife has been a patient there for over 20 years.

I completely understand the questions you have about the bruising and such, but the Doctors in that office know my family very well. This was a rare occasion for me to go to the Doctor with my son, because I normally am at work and my wife is more available to take them.

I did research this in google by typing "why would doctor ask if i have guns in my home?" and it appears that this is becoming normal practice for the Doctors to ask such questions because the insurance companies are pushing them to do so.

If the insurance companies are doing this is that even legal. If they are doing this, they are certainly not doing it for education and prevention, they must have a different agenda behind it.

I wouldn't accept it. I would make an appointment / send letter to her and CC to her superiors. It's out side the realm of your reason for the visit and very intrusive.

[edit on 25-7-2008 by Swingarm]

I am surprised you answered her, I would have told her it is none of her "f"ing business. IMHO insurance companies or not, there is no valid reason for her to ask that question. This woman and everyone in her office has access to your home address and phone number, and if you truthfully answered her question, you may have inadvertantly made yourself a target. In the future, the less people know, the more secure you are.

This anti-gun activism is long-standing AMA policy:

The association urges doctors to interrogate their patients about guns in their homes and to advise patients to get rid of their guns. By telling doctors to carry its political anti-gun message into the doctor's exam room, the AMA is promoting unethical physician conduct.

More evidence of the AMA's mendacity is its 1998 "Physician Firearm Safety Guide." Read past the title page and you will find a sermon against self-protection and a page of handy advice on how to dispose of your guns.

One doctor appointment at a time, the AMA wants to reshape the American mind so we will view guns as "a virus that must be eradicated," to quote one of the booklet's contributors.
Source

The AMA, Firearms, and Intellectual Dishonesty

reply to post by Ian McLean


Beat me to it. This is all part of the Stasi state intrusion on the individuals life. Your doctor, your neighbor, your mailman etc. all trained to observe and report. Guess you better be real nice to everybody so you don't get falsely accused and put through the ringer huh? No big deal, just be the worlds doormat and you have nothing to fear.

reply to post by Daz3d-n-Confus3d


I wouldn't stand for that. I would have reminded her that its not her job to question my parenting nor make assumptions of my parenting based on no evidence of wrong doing.

I can understand your reaction at the time, since you said you know these people well. It would be much easier to get confrontational if it was someone you didn't know. But you should still fight this and complain.

I'm sick of these industries assuming everyone is a bad parent just because we hear about a few on the news. I'm sick of them digging for something that isn't there, and using even the slightest bit of circumstantial evidence of wrong doing for the convenience of their case to break up families. That is the goal, to break up families. Families represent something "they" cannot allow.

There's a bigger pile of bull# surrounding this than just the typical rudeness that this appears to be. You should make an example. Its uncalled for.

This is getting strange; for the second time in a day, the board says someone esle made the last post instead of me. This time the poster named hasn't even responded to the thread.

Odd question from Doctor Daz3d-n-Confus3d 13 590 2 26-7-2008 at 07:30 PM
by NovusOrdoMundi

As a physician I have noticed that my colleagues and I have begun being used for political purposes. I will refer you to my thread which documents some of the more disturbing practices that are now underway;

Medicating The Population - Here's Why

It appears what the OP is describing is part of the policy that other Doctors have been persuaded to put into practice.

Please give my thread a Read. It is of utmost importance that you know about the new 'political uses' that the US government has for it's physicians.





[edit on 27-7-2008 by TruthTellist]

Originally posted by TruthTellist Medicating The Population - Here's Why

You wrote: If I prescribe an anti-psychotic, SSRI or even a benzodiazapine, that person will never be able to own a gun as they will not pass the background checks. I warn all my patients of this fact

I would like to add as a warning - do not tell the police if you are on a medication that can increase the chances of suicide, violence or memory loss

I don't know what state you are in, but that surely does not apply to the state of Georgia. I can't imagine SSRI's disqualifying anyone in any state from owning a weapon.

Georgia is a right to carry state, meaning any citizen that asks for a carry permit will receive one unless they have been convicted of drug or violent crimes, or if they have been locked up in a mental hospital. SSRI's or other related drugs do not disqualify someone from receiving a conceiled weapons permit. I have used SSRI's as well as benzodiazapine and no questions were even asked on the application.

Though a few years ago I cut my arm quite badly when I fell into a window. A family member called an ambulance and they asked me if I take any drugs, I replied Prozac. Next thing I know they are suspecting a suicide attempt (which was silly, I am right handed and it was a very deep gash at the elbow, I was bleeding out and going into shock by the time they arrived, and could think but was not as verbally expressive as normal), they even asked my neighbors if I seemed like someone who would off herself. That concerned me greatly because I knew if they wanted to say it was a suicide attempt that would mean I would lose my permit. Fortunately they saw the broken window and pools of blood beneath it and did not persue that further, but it was very distressing. I agree it is best not to tell them about SSRI's or any other similar medications.



[edit on 27-7-2008 by Sonya610]

reply to post by Sonya610


Georgia and other some other States that have maintained the vestiges of the independence from the US Federal government are doing the right thing by not applying fully the Various Police State apparatus via The Patriot Act 1 & 2, Veteran's Disarmament Act and the various malevolent policies being implemented by the Homeland Security Department.

The worst part about the new Soviet-Style Policies is that your doctor is under no obligation to warn his patients of the Political and Legal Ramifications of the drugs we prescribe - even if those policies are not YET being applied in every state; they are in place for such time as they will become active and be put into practice.

I hope Americans and Canadians will take the time to visit their .Gov websites and learn about how the medical community is being used malevolently as a political tool.

reply to post by resistor


I had the same thing happen to me yesterday on 2 threads. One of which the last poster was back in 2005 yet when I initially posted to it, it had a reply from 26/7/08 which vanished after I posted. Needless to say it left me a bit baffled.

I'm sorry to hear about your ordeal, Dazed. When you brought up the insurance it all made sense. I'm not surprised at all. The most brutal part is the unprofessionalism of asking your child rather than asking you. I can say I've had doctors speak about me to parents as if I wasn't there when I was a child, which was upsetting enough at the time, but to be treated in such a was as a parent is unthinkable.

Thanks also to TruthTellist for the info. What I'm about to say next doesn't seem to apply to you, so please take no offense.

My bottom line is I wouldn't trust a doctor as far as I could throw him. Doctors are drug pushers first, businessmen second, politial tools third, family fourth, friends sixth, people seventh, and healers in their spare time.