TOOWOOMBA, Queensland — A physician in Australia is reportedly under investigation by the Medical Board of Australia for retweeting two posts by a political candidate opposed to “radical gender indoctrination” and “gender fluidity.”
David van Gend, a general practitioner in Toowoomba, had shared a post from Conservative Party candidate Lyle Shelton, as Shelton tweeted a photo of himself with Ryan Anderson of the Heritage Foundation, whom he met prior to Anderson’s talk in Brisbane.
“A privilege to catch up with @RyanTAnd ahead of his Brisbane talk tonight. He is the author of ‘How Harry Became Sally.’ A must read for anyone trying to understand how to push back on radical gender indoctrination of our children,” the tweet read.
Another retweet from Shelton was a link to an opinion piece entitled “SSM Has Led Exactly Where We Were Warned it Would,” which expressed concern about children being taught “gender fluidity” in school.
Both posts were retweeted in April, and van Gend did not add any personal comment.
The Sunday Telegraph reports that last month, van Gend received a notice from the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), the prosecutorial department of the Medical Board of Australia, advising that a complaint had been filed against the doctor. It stated that van Gend was under investigation for violating board policies, particularly as it pertains to “discriminatory conduct.”
The AHPRA reportedly cited both tweets originally posted by Shelton, stating that by van Gend could be guilty of “presenting as a medical practitioner and providing information that is ‘clearly not medically, psychologically, nor scientifically based’ and not promoting public health.”
Shelton, upon learning that van Gend had been placed under investigation after sharing two of his tweets, expressed dismay that a doctor can face negative ramifications for holding to a different view than is socially accepted.
“If the medical board can punish a medical professional for questioning that children’s gender is fluid, God help the parents who try and protect their kids from being indoctrinated at school,” he stated in a press release.
“If the medical board is so confident that children’s gender is fluid, why doesn’t it allow discussion and debate? Why must it use its power to crush even the questioning of contested science?” Shelton asked. “It is much easier to shut people up than to have a proper discussion, but sadly free speech is not the way of modern politically correct elites.”
The public has until Aug. 17 to submit comment pertaining to proposed revisions to the Medical Board’s Code of Conduct, which, if approved, would read in part, “As a doctor, you need to acknowledge and consider the effect of your comments and actions outside work, including online, on your professional standing and on the reputation of the profession.”
“If making public comment, you should acknowledge the profession’s generally accepted views and indicate when your personal opinion differs. Behavior which could undermine community trust in the profession is at odds with good medical practice and may be considered unprofessional.”
Australian residents may click here to weigh in on the proposed revised Code of Conduct.
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