Medpedia

For many, especially those working for local, state and federal governments, Memorial Day is the a long weekend and the start of summer, replete with barbecues, libations and marathons of reality television shows. Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. We also pay respect to past and current LGBT individuals who have served the United States, despite current Don't Ask Don't Tell policy. In November 2009, the American Medical Association voted to repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell, citing that "the law puts gays in the military and their physicians in an untenable situation," said Wisconsin Medical Society delegate Paul A. Wertsch, MD, who brought the issue before the AMA House of Delegates. "If you can't trust your doctor to tell the truth, you're not going to tell the truth," said Dr. Wertsch(1). It is unclear exactly when and how DADT will be repealed and many in support and opposition are watching President Obama and his adminstration closely to see exactly what happens next.

What is known is that when DADT is repealed, Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual service members and patients will need assurance that their doctors, who once were executors of a discriminatory policy, are now allies and committed to their particular health care needs. Frederick Nagel notes that the change in official AMA policy was 20 years after similar declarations by comparable organizations such as the American Psychiatric Association and may be a harbinger of a new era in the medical community, one which finally embraces the primacy of patient welfare and social justice for all patients (2). I for one believe that day cannot come too soon.

Be well and safe this Memorial Day.

Henry Ng, MD


References:

1. AMA News - http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2009/11/23/prsc1123.htm

2. Nagel, F. Repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell—A Step Forward in Patient-Physician Trust. Virtual Mentor. August 2010, Volume 12, Number 8: 663-667.