FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, July 18, 2016
CONTACT:  Yasmina Dardari - +1 407-922-8149, yasmina@unbendablemedia.com

After Investigation Blows the Lid on Widespread Physician Sexual Assault, Care2 Petition Demands New Federal Law

***http://www.thepetitionsite.com/939/321/320***

A Care2 petition is urging federal legislators to enact a law that would permanently revoke the licenses of doctors disciplined for sexual assault

A Care2 petition is demanding a federal law that would permanently revoke the licenses of physicians who have been disciplined for sexual assault. The petition comes on the heels of an Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) investigation of more than 100,000 disciplinary documents that revealed physician sexual assault is widespread but often covered up or tolerated. The Care2 petition has gathered over 12,000 signatures.

VIEW THE CARE2 PETITION HERE: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/939/321/320/

Erin Vance, a woman who was sexually assaulted by an Oregon physician while under anesthesia and was interviewed for the AJC piece, said she supports the Care2 petition.

"I support the Care2 petition and a law that would permanently revoke the licenses of doctors who sexually abuse patients,” Vance told Care2. “Throughout this country, serial predators, like the physician who targeted me, are not just tolerated and excused, but actively protected. We need to ensure offenders cannot go on to practice in other states."

AJC found that, out of the 3,100 doctors in the U.S. who were disciplined for sexual infractions since Jan. 1, 1999, over 2,400 were sanctioned for violations against patients. State medical boards that oversee physicians have allowed more than half of the sanctioned doctors to keep their licenses. In addition, many doctors who have been forced to stop practicing in one state often go on to practice in another.

“Oregon's "Doctor of the Year," Dr. David Mata, was accused of 140 counts of sexual abuse of his patients,” writes Care2 petition author Valerie Janovic. “He pled guilty to six counts of sexual abuse, and was sentenced to probation at home with no prison time. Dr. Mata is still eligible to reapply for a medical license. Sign this petition to demand a federal law that will permanently revoke the licenses of doctors disciplined for sex crimes.”

# # #

Care2 (www.Care2.com) is a community of 36 million standing together for good. People are making world-changing impact with Care2, starting petitions and supporting each other’s campaigns to help individuals, animals and the environment. A pioneer of online advocacy since 1998, Care2 is a B Corporation, or social enterprise, using the power of business as a force for good.