I wish Annette Bosworth were my doctor. Since she lives and practices medicine more than1300 miles away, in South Dakota, that’s not to be.
Sadly, the question to be answered, officially, is whether Dr. Bosworth will be permitted to provide medical care to anyone in her state. Following convictions on 12 felony counts pertaining to petitions she circulated, the South Dakota Medical Board has asked Bosworth to surrender her license.
Today, Annette appears at a hearing before the medical board regarding the ultimate resolution of her status to legally practice medicine. Announcing she would fight to try to save her license, Dr. Bosworth declared, “I just can’t give up.”
No one seems to doubt that she is a caring and capable physician. At her sentencing, Judge John Brown noted the many letters he received supporting her, mostly from patients, concluding that, “you did good work.”
Even Attorney General Marty Jackley, who prosecuted her, agreed: “I join in the court’s recognition coming from those that know Dr. Bosworth best, her medical patients, that she is capable of helping them. . . .”
“It’s just a terrible shame,” offered her attorney Robert Van Norman, “for her, for all of us, in a rural state, to lose permanently this woman’s talents.”
It’s difficult to remain optimistic, given that Dr. Bosworth and the state medical board have clashed again and again over the years. Yet, if the board follows the “do no harm” principle of medicine, they’ll not prevent Dr. Bosworth from regaining her license and again providing the highest quality of care to the people of South Dakota.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
6 replies on “First, Do No Harm”
If that is the kind of law sanctioned by their courts in South Dakota, sounds like a dangerous place to live. One is in more peril from the law than from the other criminals.
Way over the top prosecution. Bad law. Dr. Bosworth should not have done what she did; she should certainly pay a price. Losing a great doctor is way too high a price for her and for the rest of us.
Our public officials have lost tough with reality . . . much less common sense.
They have lost “touch” with reality, I meant to type. Not “tough.” And I can’t even blame auto-correct. That hurts!
Paul, just what was her “crime”? Did she violate anyone’s rights? Did she initiate force or fraud? Thank you for any information.
Janet Mills, a former DA, State Senator and Attorney General of the State of Maine committed this same crime and I witnessed it. It was brought to the attention of the authorities and was not prosecuted, nor were her petitions invalidated.
She is MUCH more dangerous than a common criminal who murders or rapes.
She threatened the status quo.