We have to be able to trust our doctors

Bill 21 is a good first step, Mary Jane James writes.

When a person is ill or injured, their primary concern should be healing. They shouldn’t have to worry about whether they’ll be sexually abused by their health provider while they’re receiving care.

Sadly, the mere thought of going to a hospital or clinic is enough to cause incredible distress for some sexual-assault survivors who have experienced this type of violence.

We’ve all heard of Larry Nassar, the former American national gymnastics team doctor who was convicted of sexual assault of minors and sentenced to life in prison. Justice was served to Nassar — but this case was an exception to the rule.

These stories often go untold and are even more often unreported. For the very courageous few who choose to endure the gruelling reporting process, a small fraction will see their perpetrator receive adequate disciplinary action.

Take for example, Ismail Taher. In 2013, the Edmonton physician was found guilty of sexually assaulting a client and a colleague. During his sentencing, Judge Greg Lepp said about Taher: “He abused his position for selfish, prurient and unwholesome reasons. He had no excuse. There is no remorse shown here.” Despite this, Taher was permitted to return to work in April of this year and continues to practise today under certain restrictions.

The response I often receive from people when I bring up this issue is “not all medical providers.” This is true, of course. For every medical provider who uses abusive behaviour, there are hundreds and hundreds of others who are respectful and professional. But the damage that those few offenders can do is exponential.

At the Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton (SACE), we have approximately 20 clients on our caseload who have experienced sexual violence by medical providers. This number fluctuates, but it’s certainly not unusual.

This might seem shocking, since it’s quite rare to see cases like the one involving Taher in the news. However, one must keep in mind that, just because people aren’t reporting their experiences of sexual abuse to the police (or to anyone, for that matter), doesn’t mean it’s not happening.

There are many reasons why people don’t report. One of the primary reasons is fear that they won’t be believed. Perpetrators often commit abusive acts when no one else is around to see it happen or vouch for the survivor.

Ultimately, it comes down to whose word seems more credible. And when the person who is being accused occupies a position of power — such as a physician — they will likely come out on top.

From my work at SACE, I know that survivors of sexual abuse by medical providers experience unique and particularly troubling effects of this type of trauma. The relationship between a patient and medical provider is built on trust. Medical providers who choose to exploit their power by sexually abusing their patients break that trust in the most egregious way.

Often, it is difficult for survivors to trust medical providers again. This means they’re less likely to access medical help when they need it, ultimately putting their health and well-being at risk.

The bottom line: We need to do more to prevent this form of violence, and when it does happen, we need to hold our medical providers accountable for the harm they’ve caused and support those who have experienced it.

On Oct. 30, the government of Alberta introduced Bill 21: An Act to Protect Patients: legislation that would better protect patients from sexual abuse by regulated health professionals. I attended the first reading of the bill as a validator, as I see it as a good first step in addressing this issue.

I encourage Albertans to reach out to their MLAs to ask them to support this bill. In the meantime, we at SACE will continue to support and advocate for those who have already experienced harm.

In Canada, we have universal health care. Now we need to ensure that all people feel safe accessing it.

Just because people aren’t reporting their experiences of sexual abuse to the police ... doesn’t mean it’s not happening