Alberta pediatric resident physicians are adding their voices to the contentious debate about gay-straight alliances (GSAs).
Pediatric resident Jazmyn Balfour-Boehm drafted an open letter because she felt they have a responsibility to stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ youth.
This group of doctors wanted to support young people’s rights to belong to a GSA in their schools without the fear of being outed.
READ MORE: Albertans rally in support of current GSA rules after UCP education plan released
“I’m recognizing that, as I am proceeding with my pediatric residency, we have this voice to use,” Balfour-Boehm said.
“We see children and youth inside the four walls of hospitals and clinics, but our role extends beyond that.
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“We wanted to be the voice for the youth when they can’t advocate for themselves.”
“I hadn’t seen the medical viewpoint in the media on this and I felt it provided a new perspective to the conversation,” she said.
Nineteen other pediatric residents across Alberta have signed the open statement written by Balfour-Boehm.
In part, she wrote about doctor-patient confidentiality and said this situation between teachers and students is a direct parallel.
“In our profession, the only grounds for breaching the circle of confidentiality that exists within the patient-physician relationship would be if child or adolescent indicates intent to harm themselves or others, or if there is a suspected case of abuse or neglect,” Balfour-Bohem said.
“It is not within our rights to disclose a youth’s defined sexual orientation or gender identity unless the youth has provided clear and informed consent for us to share this information.”
Read entire open letter below:
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