The unprofessional conduct hearing by the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA) against an anti-abortion doctor had to be adjourned shortly after starting because the HPCSA had failed to provide the defence with documents necessary to its case.
Dr Jaques de Vos, was dismissed a week short of completing the gynaecological section of his internship before he could advance to his year of community service.
De Vos is charged with unprofessional conduct, in that during December 2016 he acted in a manner that was not in accordance with the norms and standards of his profession. De Vos is claimed to be guilty of dissuading his patient from terminating her pregnancy, of disrespecting the dignity of the patient and using emotive language to convey his beliefs to the patient. In addition, De Vos is alleged to have failed/neglected to honour and/or respect the patient’s right to self-determination, to have disrespected his patient’s choices regarding her autonomy and failed/neglected to respect his patient’s right to bodily and psychological integrity. De Vos is accused also of unprofessional conduct in that during 2015 he distributed pamphlets at his work imposing his religious beliefs and values on members of the public, his colleagues and patients, and that he attempted to influence his colleagues to adopt his opinions by sending them text messages.
The hearing by the HPCSA against an anti-abortion doctor got off to a rocky start and had to be temporarily adjourned on Tuesday in Cape Town. The Times reports that de Vos, 32, a former intern at 2 Military Hospital in Wynberg allegedly told a patient more than two years ago that a foetus was a human being. He allegedly likened abortion to killing an unborn human, while working for the gynaecology division during his intern year.
At the hearing it emerged that De Vos was only a week short of finishing his medical degree before he did his community service.
According to the report, defence advocate Keith Matthee told the six-member HPCSA committee that De Vos struggled to have his internship documents signed off due to the charges he has been facing for the past two years. He told the committee that several regulations had not been adhered to by the council.
Matthee has argued an inquiry must be rooted in science. Eyewitness News reports that he told the committee that they needed more clarity on the charges. “How far was the pregnancy? Was the pregnancy terminated? You will see in the charge sheet that it’s ambiguous that he dissuaded her from having an abortion. It’s ambiguous that we don’t know if the patient had the abortion or not.”
He has emphasised the inquiry must be based on scientific evidence. “It has to be rooted in science… whatever evidence is read must be rooted in science.”
The report says the committee adjourned for a short while to allow the HPCSA time to hand over outstanding documents to the respondent.
A Cape Argus report and says De Vos supported by Doctors for Life International, which assisted him in obtaining legal representation from law firm De Wet Wepener Attorneys.
[link url="https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2019-08-27-a-foetus-is-a-human-anti-abortion-doctor-charged-with-unprofessional-conduct/"]The Times report[/link]
[link url="https://ewn.co.za/2019/08/27/intern-doctor-dismissed-over-anti-abortion-views-wants-clarity-on-charges"]Eyewitness News report[/link]
[link url="http://capetimes.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/showarticle.aspx?article=f578a3f0-5d0c-4fc3-96ce-ee0814df7a1d&key=CZpxbqVeRXQeNn3HnR5jXQ%3d%3d&issue=64022019082800000000001001"]Cape Times report (subscription needed)[/link]