David Newman allegations

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I don't think you can blame people for being skeptical until the evidence came out to prove it happened. The skepticism was not because people don't take rape seriously, but because it is hard to believe that a doctor would not only be thinking of his patients in a sexual way, not only decide it was worth risking his career by doing something sexual with a patient, not only decide to ejaculate on a patient right in the middle of a treatment room, but do it without her consent and misusing medication to do it. It's a bizarre scenario that I would find really far fetched in a piece of fiction. Welp, here we see truth really is stranger than fiction.

Without evidence, these kinds of cases are always hard because you do need to balance compassion for people who have genuinely been assaulted vs. not destroying the life of an innocent man. As a woman, I certainly am vehemently opposed to rape, but sometimes people do make false accusations for various reasons.

Nope, not buying it. I notice this anytime a woman accuses a man of any misconduct. There is a pervasive assumption that the woman is lying while the man is innocent and victim of a diabolical plan to "take him down." The very least is to keep a neutral stance in these situations/accusations/alleged crimes and not to take either side until evidence is examined and proof is brought forth.

You are acting like bizarre things dont happen all the time. "Truth is stranger than fiction." And I dont understand how a doctor doing what he did seems so utterly far fetched to you. If it were, there would be no need for chaperones in medical practice.

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If it were, there would be no need for chaperones in medical practice.

The chaperone is there to protect the healthcare provider. If you don't understand this basic fact, it's hard to give your thoughts on the situation even the least bit of value...
 
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The chaperone is there to protect the healthcare provider. If you don't understand this basic fact, it's hard to give your thoughts on the situation even the least bit of value...

Oh, I understand perfectly. Its there to protect both the provider AND the patient.

Something tells me you wouldnt value my thoughts regardless.
 
Something tells me you wouldnt value my thoughts regardless.
Just stop. You're an unknown quantity that dropped in here suddenly, with a clear agenda, and you are fomenting discord where there is none.

Having known many people in this thread for many years, I can tell you that your thoughts, if not valued, would not be due to your status as female, but as not objective and with preconceived notions that are unshakeable.
 
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Just stop. You're an unknown quantity that dropped in here suddenly, with a clear agenda, and you are fomenting discord where there is none.

Having known many people in this thread for many years, I can tell you that your thoughts, if not valued, would not be due to your status as female, but as not objective and with preconceived notions that are unshakeable.

Get over yourself. Its a forum, anonymous at that, where anybody can contribute. No one is trying to create discord besides you with your passive aggressive "If you don't understand this basic fact, it's hard to give your thoughts on the situation even the least bit of value..." Pfft Who says that? You are the one that brought any sort of negativity/discord first.

You just wasted a bunch of keystrokes.
 
Get over yourself. Its a forum, anonymous at that, where anybody can contribute. No one is trying to create discord besides you with your passive aggressive "If you don't understand this basic fact, it's hard to give your thoughts on the situation even the least bit of value..." Pfft Who says that? You are the one that brought any sort of negativity/discord first.

You just wasted a bunch of keystrokes.
Pot? Kettle?

And, again, there it is - finding "passive/aggressive", now, where it isn't. Just be honest. Just state why you, all of a sudden, dropped in today, and have contributed a sizable plurality of anything you've ever contributed to SDN to this one thread, with your bias.
 
Any more updates on the trial. I am searching to the most recent articles.
 
I am sure that rapes are under reported and many that are reported are not prosecuted because of the rules under which our justice system operates. But absent changing the some of the bedrock principles of our justice system....presumption of innocence...reasonable doubt, etc. the amount of prosecutions are probably appropriate and cause for concern.

Are you really advocating going down the path of changing those principles? If not how would you fix this admittedly terrible problem?


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No, I am not advocating changing the principles of presuming innocence until guilt is proved and the right to due process.

I am advocating changing our predisposition to doubt rape accusations.

I do not find the above to be mutually exclusive.
 
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There are a number of problems regarding our cultural approach to rape including both unfair doubt and victim blaming in regards to women especially when alcohol is involved. There is also a discrepancy in how rape is treated for male victims. These are serious issues that need to be addressed on multiple levels in our society.

This case is not an example of that. The only information initially available is that a prominent academic physician was accused of drugging and sexually assaulting someone in the middle of a busy emergency department, a place known to be frequented by the crazy and malicious. No one said it shouldn't be investigated. No one hesitated when more information became available. His professional associations immediately cut ties with him and his name has become the punchline to joke after joke, all before he has even gone to trial. To hold this up as an example of society refusing to believe sexual assault victims is asinine.

This story is insane. Someone could have written this into a fiction piece and we would have rolled our eyes at how ridiculous it is. Retrospection does not change the fact that the reasonable conclusion at the onset was to doubt the claim. Yet, even the earliest posts are more along the lines of "this seems very unlikely" than "this is impossible".
 
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To hold this up as an example of society refusing to believe sexual assault victims is asinine.

Hard to tell who we are referring to on these threads sometime. In case that the above statement is directed at me, I'd like to clarify that this is not what I'm doing.
 
Does anyone know how to access old smartem podcasts now that the website is down? I enjoyed listening to the ones I had heard
 
The actions that Newman admitted to are enough to not allow him to continue as a physician.
 
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So...

Newman pleads guilty. Accepts 2 years in the joint, in a plea deal. (And yes, it was propofol, not morphine, that was obvious and I called it immediately.)

I think his decision to plead guilty was the right one. He's lucky to get only 2 years. He could have gone for much, much longer under different circumstances, or if coming from a different background, as a convicted serial rapists. Two years, is kind of a joke actually, if you think about it, for a convicted serial rapist. Regardless, the dude needs to get some help. Serious help.

What a waste of a life. I hope he find some redemption, somewhere, somehow. And most of all, that his victims are able to move on with their lives, as best as humanly possible.

Also, what a s*** stain on the Medical Profession. As if patients don't distrust us enough.

Just be the best you can be. That's all you can do.
 
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2 years?!! What a bunch of bull****! No justice. Can't imagine how the women who were sexually assaulted by a "trusted" Healthcare professional feel about such impunity. Legal system is a joke. Sentence is a joke. The lawyers and everyone involved should be ashamed.

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I think Brock Turner established that 6 months is the appropriate sentence for a successful white male raping a woman. With 4 sexual assaults, 2 years makes sense. Hell, maybe Trump will make him Surgeon General...
 
I must admit that I do not feel qualified to speak to appropriate sentencing. It's just not an issue I've spent enough time thinking about and researching to develop a well-informed opinion on. But considering that he would have gotten more time for possessing the drugs he used to drug one of his rape victims, the sentence seems disproportionate to sentences being served by a lot of other New Yorkers.

*I should note that this may or may not say more about drug sentencing than it does about this particular case.
 
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I think Brock Turner established that 6 months is the appropriate sentence for a successful white male raping a woman. With 4 sexual assaults, 2 years makes sense. Hell, maybe Trump will make him Surgeon General...
I guess we know Hillary's screen name now.
 
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The chaperone is there to protect the healthcare provider. If you don't understand this basic fact, it's hard to give your thoughts on the situation even the least bit of value...
True. The reason for the chaperone is specifically to protect the physician from false misconduct allegations.
 
2 years?!! What a bunch of bull****! No justice. Can't imagine how the women who were sexually assaulted by a "trusted" Healthcare professional feel about such impunity. Legal system is a joke. Sentence is a joke. The lawyers and everyone involved should be ashamed.

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You think that's bad. The Psychiatrist who started getting a bit too touchy-feely with me (plus the psychological abuse of basically being groomed for almost 12 months as well), and who was also having full sexual relations with many of his other female patients, and sexually assaulting others while they were under sedation, had his licensed revoked for 2 months. Yes, you read that right, 2 months; and then they allowed him to have his license back with restrictions, before just finally reinstating his full license for good. He's now retired to another country in the lap of relative luxury. So much for justice.
 
I must admit that I do not feel qualified to speak to appropriate sentencing. It's just not an issue I've spent enough time thinking or researching to form an well-informed opinion on. But considering that he would have gotten more time for possessing the drugs he used to drug one of his rape victims, the sentence seems disproportionate to sentences being served by a lot of other New Yorkers.

*I should note that this may or may not say more about drug sentencing than it does about this particular case.
True, that there's all kinds of other charges the DA could've slapped on him, mostly related to controlled substances misappropriation. When they really want to go for blood, they can add all kinds of ancillary & overlapping charges, it seems, and often do. I still think he got off lucky here with 2 years. His medical career is likely over though, and he'll likely have to register as a sex offender, for life. His wife will certainly leave him, if not already. And I can't imagine his chances of full joint custody of his kids would be looking very good, any time soon.

That being said, I've seen cases where doctors who'd been found guilty of sexual misconduct, get their license & privileges back, under heavy restrictions (such as not being able to see female patients, not being able to prescribe controlled substances/sedatives, etc). It's outrageous to think anyone convicted of such things could ever get their physician license back, but like I've said, I've read about cases where it's happened and I'm just left scratching my head.

That being said, his career is effectively over, ruined, tarnished severely, and crippled at best. He's probably best just giving it up, and setting his sites on some career where ethics and an upstanding public image are less than mandatory. He might want to look into running for Congress.
 
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.

He's probably best just giving it up, and setting his sites on some career where ethics and an upstanding public image are less than mandatory. He might want to look into running for Congress.

Why stop there? Oval office is where it's at these days


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Why stop there? Oval office is where it's at these days


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Well, I though about how I wanted to word that one. I thought Congress was the better punchline. I could have substituted "public office" but that's less of a zinger. I could have used "oval office" as you say, but then it wouldn't have been clear if I was referring to the Bill Clinton years, where you had someone occupying the oval office who had experienced actual liability for sexual misconduct (settlement with Paula Jones for close to $1 million) or whether I was taking a Hillary-loving hateful-jab at Trump, who's been accused but as of yet, never had any liability or convictions, as such. Not everyone agrees on the last question, but everyone agrees congressman are the good butt of any joke.

Regardless, touché.
 
Propofol isn't a controlled substance by the DEA (or any state that I'm aware of), but most hospitals treat it as such per individual policy.

So not sure there is any charge available for possessing it. There could be a charge regarding his intent with it?


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Says the guy with a reputation for deleting things off the internet. :p
Lol.

Funny. I've been on here so little lately, I guess its just cool that anyone remembers me. All those " . " 's
I suppose.
 
Well, I though about how I wanted to word that one. I thought Congress was the better punchline. I could have substituted "public office" but that's less of a zinger. I could have used "oval office" as you say, but then it wouldn't have been clear if I was referring to the Bill Clinton years, where you had someone occupying the oval office who had experienced actual liability for sexual misconduct (settlement with Paula Jones for close to $1 million) or whether I was taking a Hillary-loving hateful-jab at Trump, who's been accused but as of yet, never had any liability or convictions, as such. Not everyone agrees on the last question, but everyone agrees congressman are the good butt of any joke.

Regardless, touché.

An understandable thought process. But I'm sure you'll agree that when a behavior is worth making fun of, we should make fun of it regardless of whether we like the person's policies.
 
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Propofol isn't a controlled substance by the DEA (or any state that I'm aware of), but most hospitals treat it as such per individual policy.

So not sure there is any charge available for possessing it. There could be a charge regarding his intent with it?


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Wow, that's surprising.
 
Propofol isn't a controlled substance by the DEA (or any state that I'm aware of), but most hospitals treat it as such per individual policy.

So not sure there is any charge available for possessing it. There could be a charge regarding his intent with it?


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I was always under the impression it was one of those "nursing rules" that exist "in the protocol" that can never be produced, even though every protocol that's gone through document control is available on the S drive per TJC rules. And that's why they have to waste it. Anesthesia just leaves that **** laying around everywhere.
They also die a lot of accidental overdoses though.
 
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So... if we go back and review previous posts on this thread...

And "justice" is relative: two years in jail and never again a doctor. I still wonder what in the Hell happened to him to flip out like that...
 
I don't know where you go from here, but I'll bet he can figure out a way to salvage the rest of his life. He's got two years to think about it.

Best of luck to you doc and hope the victims recover quickly from this trauma. There are no winners here.
 
So... if we go back and review previous posts on this thread...

And "justice" is relative: two years in jail and never again a doctor. I still wonder what in the Hell happened to him to flip out like that...
I get what you're saying, but there's something that's just far too reprehensible about this whole violation of trust thing.

I remember way back in med school we had some kind of oath (among others) that went something like this: "Don't bang your patients." It was based on the fact that people come to us, trust us with their deepest darkest fears and secrets, open themselves up to us like they never would to anyone else, and truly spend some of their worst days on earth with us. We have some form of duty to respect that and not take advantage of it for our own self indulgence.

This guy took it 3 steps further when he decided to drug someone like a date raper, and then proceed to grope and ejaculate on them. Could not in my wildest dreams imagine what I would think or do if that occurred to me or a loved one.

In the end, 2 years feels like a slap on the wrist for such a heinous violation of that trust. F this guy.
 
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I don't know where you go from here, but I'll bet he can figure out a way to salvage the rest of his life. He's got two years to think about it.

Best of luck to you doc and hope the victims recover quickly from this trauma. There are no winners here.
Unfortunately, he's nowhere near the worst doctor out there, and many of them are able to be licensed. Selling drugs for sex, filming exams, etc. People are terrible. Doctors are people. Ergo...
 
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An understandable thought process. But I'm sure you'll agree that when a behavior is worth making fun of, we should make fun of it regardless of whether we like the person's policies.

Absolutely
 
I'm expecting a book soon...

Omg, man. The book. "THE BOOK."

I was just thinking the other day, "Am I ever going to write that book?"

Lol. Some of you guys have impressive memories.
 
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I remember way back in med school we had some kind of oath (among others) that went something like this: "Don't bang your patients."

According to your oath above, he never violated it. Technically he didn't "bang his patients." He banged himself.

Regardless, heinous nonetheless.
 
His career in medicine and as a writer is over (in Western countries anyways). Another crappy part of this is that he essentially invalidated a career with very good research and books. His points on patient care and NNT were paradigm changing, but he F'd it all up. Who knows what darkness lies in us all, but my goodness, he deserves a life of poverty and being a pariah for what he has done.

I'll save all my sympathy for his victims and family he deserted. I couldn't care less what happens to him in whatever terrible NY state pen he gets stuck in.
 
Yeah. I don't know that there's a lot to be gained by ranking them in degrees of badness. It's just all bad.
 
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2 years?!! What a bunch of bull****! No justice. Can't imagine how the women who were sexually assaulted by a "trusted" Healthcare professional feel about such impunity. Legal system is a joke. Sentence is a joke. The lawyers and everyone involved should be ashamed.

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don't worry, he'll get out in 1 year with good behavior. then 1 year probation.
 
According to your oath above, he never violated it. Technically he didn't "bang his patients." He banged himself.

Regardless, heinous nonetheless.
Touché.

I just emailed my med school to request that they update their list to include drugging your patients with propofol and proceeding to bang yourself. Will let you know what I hear back...

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"Put the patient in trauma bay one. That doctor probably won't ejaculate on her face."

How times have changed... or at least become more apparent.
 
"Put the patient in trauma bay one. That doctor probably won't ejaculate on her face."

How times have changed... or at least become more apparent.

I don't think this is evidence of changing times. This is a particularly shocking and disturbing case, but people have always been capable of such deplorable acts, and doctors have always been people. So, as already stated...

People are terrible. Doctors are people. Ergo...
 
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