Guns 'n Docs

Boundary Violations Gun Politics in the Doctor's Office

“ "The correct response to that question is: "Do you know what a Boundary Violation is? Are you aware that such a medical ethics violation can cost you your practice?" # posted by  Kristopher : 7/27/10 1:04 PM ” Kristopher is one of the valued commenters here.  I like to think he's the ghost of Spoons, an erstwhile guardian angel who tried to save me from myself.  Anyway, his comment to the Pistol Packing Mama post triggered this one. “ Imagine this scenario: you visit your doctor for back pain. Your doctor asks if you have firearms in your home. Then he announces that your family would be better off (especially your children) if you had no guns at all in your house. You leave the doctor's office feeling uneasy, wondering what guns have to do with your backache. Does your doctor care about your family's safety? Or instead, did he use your trust and his authority to advance a political agenda? American families may soon find themselves in this scenario. Social activists are taking their war on gun ownership to a new battleground: the doctor's office.(1) The American Medical Association (AMA)(2), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)(3), and American College of Physicians (ACP)(4) are urging doctors to probe their patients about guns in their homes. They profess concern for patient safety. But their ulterior motive is a political prejudice against guns and gun owners. And that places their interventions into the area of unethical physician conduct called boundary violations. (Full) ” My own physician and I crossed e-mails over his support for Obamacare, but I eventually saw in our exchange the potential for prollems.  Like pissing-off the waiter who will be bringing your food order.  He never mentioned guns however. Is there any aspect of society left untouched by politics?