Janice R. Andrews
Retired general practitioner Dr. Sarah Benn has been suspended from the medical register by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) for five months as a result of her participation in climate demonstrations. This decision has generated controversy. The panel found that Benn’s ability to practice medicine had been compromised and identified wrongdoing.
Birmingham-based Dr. Benn has been an outspoken participant in nonviolent climate protests since 2019. Her action has earned her conditional discharges and even a jail sentence in 2022. She presented the climate catastrophe as an urgent health emergency and underlined how urgent it is to address it.
The panel did, however, voice concerns about Dr. Benn’s frequent legal infractions, noting that most people would not support such behavior given its detrimental effects on public resources.
Doctors’ groups have been outraged by this case; many are challenging the ruling and demanding that regulations governing medical professionals’ participation in nonviolent direct action on climate problems be reexamined.
The UK Health Alliance on Climate Change, which is made up of a number of medical associations, expressed shock at Benn’s suspension and emphasized how critical it is to reduce environmental harm and climate change for the sake of world health.
The General Medical Council (GMC) responded by making it clear that Dr. Benn was sent for several court order violations that resulted in a jail term rather than for his protests regarding climate change in general. The GMC emphasized that, in order to preserve public confidence, physicians must uphold the law even as they respect their freedom to voice their beliefs and participate in protests.
This case highlights more general concerns regarding the proper ratio of activism to professional behavior and the function of regulators in handling significant social issues.
