I'm wondering if this a continuation of the Clinton defense that what one does in his/her private life has no bearing on the perfomance of ones job? This is a copy of an article printed in a Jewish newspaper named Ha'aretz.
Failure to revoke doctor's license draws fire
Senior surgeon at Soroka hospital was jailed for ordering the beating of woman carrying his child
By Ran Reznick
A week ago, outgoing health minister Nissim Dahan decided to suspend the medical license of Dr. Fuad Mussa for two years, when the physician is released from prison.
Mussa, formerly a senior surgeon at Be'er Sheva's Soroka Medical Center, was sentenced in 1999 to eight years' imprisonment for ordering three thugs to beat up a woman whom he had impregnated, so that she would have an abortion.
The woman, who was beaten in Mussa's presence, refused an abortion, but later gave birth to a stillborn baby.
This is the first time a doctor's license has been suspended in Israel for an incident not connected with his professional ability. If he gets off one-third for good behavior, Mussa is due to be released next year.
Dahan's decision has met severe criticism on the part of senior officials in the ministry who say that such a cruel act by a doctor - leading to the death of a fetus - deserves, from both moral and public points of view, to be punished by revoking the doctor's license for good.
Dahan based his decision on the recommendation of a disciplinary committee that discussed the case after Mussa was convicted.
The ministry's legal experts, who appeared before the committee, said that "a doctor's integrity is judged also by acts that he performs outside his work."
The public does not expect a physician to behave "in a way that creates contradictions between his duty to do everything possible to save a life, and this cruel and grave act."
Mussa's lawyer admitted that his client's deeds were "cruel and grave" but said they were not carried out in connection with his profession as a doctor, nor in the capacity of a doctor toward a patient.
He said Mussa had expressed deep regret and that he had been "punished by God" since he had developed a severe illness.
He said that in 15 years at Soroka, Mussa had been "recognized as a moral person who gave assistance to all" and that he had already "repaid his debt to the public."
The committee members were divided. The chairman, Dr. Yaakov Haspel, deputy director of Hillel Yaffe Hospital in Hadera, and Dr. Ricardo Alfasi, the representative of the Israel Medical Association, recommended that Mussa lose his license for one year only.
They said it was impossible to say today that Mussa would be dangerous to future patients. Mussa, they said, received favorable assessments from his colleagues who believed he could continue to work in a professional and trustworthy manner.
Failure to revoke doctor's license draws fire
Senior surgeon at Soroka hospital was jailed for ordering the beating of woman carrying his child
By Ran Reznick
A week ago, outgoing health minister Nissim Dahan decided to suspend the medical license of Dr. Fuad Mussa for two years, when the physician is released from prison.
Mussa, formerly a senior surgeon at Be'er Sheva's Soroka Medical Center, was sentenced in 1999 to eight years' imprisonment for ordering three thugs to beat up a woman whom he had impregnated, so that she would have an abortion.
The woman, who was beaten in Mussa's presence, refused an abortion, but later gave birth to a stillborn baby.
This is the first time a doctor's license has been suspended in Israel for an incident not connected with his professional ability. If he gets off one-third for good behavior, Mussa is due to be released next year.
Dahan's decision has met severe criticism on the part of senior officials in the ministry who say that such a cruel act by a doctor - leading to the death of a fetus - deserves, from both moral and public points of view, to be punished by revoking the doctor's license for good.
Dahan based his decision on the recommendation of a disciplinary committee that discussed the case after Mussa was convicted.
The ministry's legal experts, who appeared before the committee, said that "a doctor's integrity is judged also by acts that he performs outside his work."
The public does not expect a physician to behave "in a way that creates contradictions between his duty to do everything possible to save a life, and this cruel and grave act."
Mussa's lawyer admitted that his client's deeds were "cruel and grave" but said they were not carried out in connection with his profession as a doctor, nor in the capacity of a doctor toward a patient.
He said Mussa had expressed deep regret and that he had been "punished by God" since he had developed a severe illness.
He said that in 15 years at Soroka, Mussa had been "recognized as a moral person who gave assistance to all" and that he had already "repaid his debt to the public."
The committee members were divided. The chairman, Dr. Yaakov Haspel, deputy director of Hillel Yaffe Hospital in Hadera, and Dr. Ricardo Alfasi, the representative of the Israel Medical Association, recommended that Mussa lose his license for one year only.
They said it was impossible to say today that Mussa would be dangerous to future patients. Mussa, they said, received favorable assessments from his colleagues who believed he could continue to work in a professional and trustworthy manner.
