That a professional society would consider expelling a member who treats men is disturbing. There is no suggestion that the doctors in this article are under threat of loss of licensure due to questions of competence or ethical issues. On the contrary, they appear to be exercising their skill and expertise in treating the men in question. Try as I might, I can’t figure out why an esteemed professional board would impose on the practice of medicine. I thought Boards are in place to certify competence in a given specialty, not to tell a trained physician that they may not treat patients and exercise their skills in the service of health?

We should all be concerned about such policies and can imagine all sorts of mischief. Might the psychiatric board see fit to drum out a psychiatrist who sews up a laceration, drawing upon their general medical training? Telling a specialist that they may not treat a man is nonsensical and offensive. Were there a specialty that primarily treats men, punishing members who chose to treat women, there would likely be cries of discrimination and much indignation. Nobody’s interests would appear to be served by this rule. Let’s hope it is changed quickly.