Topic: Patient allegedlly denied HIV meds on religious grounds.

[David E.]

http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/06/01/47019.htm

A gay HIV-positive man says in court that a hospital denied him treatment and visitors, as the doctor remarked, "This is what he gets for going against God's will."
     Joao Simoes sued Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Union County Superior Court. He says that the hospital admitted him in August 2011, but that "requests for his lifesaving medication were not honored," and his sister was denied visitation rights.
     Susan V. Borga, M.D., from the Department of Behavioral Health and Psychiatry, allegedly approached Simoes while he was confined to the hospital's mental health wing. Borga is not named as a defendant.
     Simoes says Borga was unfazed when another patient told her that he had just gotten out of prison, where he served time for murder. But her reaction was allegedly different when Simoes said that he did not work because he planned to go back to school and because of his HIV status.
     Borga then allegedly asked Simoes how he got HIV, to which he responded, "I got it from unprotected sex."
     The complaint then says that "Dr. Borga closed the plaintiff's file, put it down and looked at plaintiff with disgust on her face and asked, coldly, "Is that from sex with men?"
     Simoes says he responded affirmatively and that, "immediately after hearing this, Dr. Borga proceeded to exit the room."
     After this consultation, no nurse or doctor came to see Simoes, even though he told them that he needed to take his HIV medication, according to the complaint.
     When the hospital finally permitted Simoes to call his personal physician on the third day of his stay, he learned that the doctor had already spoken with Borga about Simoes' medication, according to the complaint.
     Borga allegedly responded: "You must be gay, too, if you're his doctor."
     "Additionally, apparently realizing that plaintiff's doctor had an accent, Dr. Borga exclaimed, 'What, do you need a translator?' to which plaintiff's doctor had again responded that Dr. Borga needed to give plaintiff his HIV medication," the complaint states.
     "Dr. Borga responded to plaintiff's doctor by stating, 'This is what he gets for going against God's will,' and hung up the phone on plaintiff's doctor."
     Simoes says his sister had been at the hospital when he checked in, but the hospital refused to let her visit.
     When the sister came to the hospital again on the day Simoes spoke with his personal physician, she brought her brother's medication.
     "Plaintiff witnessed his sister leave his medication with the nurses' station and it was not until this time that the nurses, seeing that the plaintiff had witnessed his sister give his medication to the nurses, that the nurses eventually gave plaintiff his medication," the complaint states.
     The hospital's conduct allegedly caused Simoes to miss five doses of his medication.
     Simoes seeks punitive damages for discrimination. He is represented by Kevin Costello with Costello & Mains of Mount Laurel, N.J

I have trouble believing that anyone would be so ignorant of the consequences as to do this, but more horrible things have happened. 

[Halleyscomet/Wakefield]

I have trouble believing that anyone would be so ignorant of the consequences as to do this, but more horrible things have happened.

That depends on which consequence you're talking about.

I got the feeling she'd done this before and gotten away with it. The practiced ease with which she attempted to condemn the man to death by denying him his medication suggests this is a stunt she's pulled before. This is just the first time anyone made a public issue out of it. I don't think she expected professional or legal repercussions.

As for the patient being harmed, possibly killed, by the denial of his HIV medication, it sounded to me like she WANTED that consequence to befall her patient.

How many gay men has she condemned to death this way?

What harm has she done to immigrants? Her hostility towards the doctor suggests racism on top of homophobia.

[Karyn]

Google indicates this hospital is in New Jersey.  I know if it was in Kansas, where a law has been passed allowing doctors to not perform treatments that go against their religious beliefs, exactly this sort of thing will start happening, completely legally.  I'm not sure if NJ has passed anything like this, though.

[David E.]

It just staggers me that someone can have such an insulated belief and work at a Hospital.  That is terrifying. 

[Neon Genesis]

Someone please explain to me why this lunatic woman has no problems with giving service to a murderer but she would wish death upon someone just for being gay and why isn't she locked away in an insane asylum. 

[Karyn]

cognitive dissonance.  Also, the bible praises genocide and damns gays and mouthy children.  I spose that's why it always sounded like a pile of hoo-ha to me.

[Neon Genesis]

But didn't Jesus' death supersede the old laws?

[Halleyscomet/Wakefield]

But didn't Jesus' death supersede the old laws?

No.

St Peter's dream of the net of unclean food superseded the dietary laws, and the "Incident at Antioch" created the distinction between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians. Incompetent, lazy and uneducated pastors tend to just whitewash the actual theology with "Jesus changed everything." The reality is Peter and Paul changed everything. The very list of what laws Christians need to follow was deliberately altered by the Apostles to facilitate the conversion of Gentiles.