State lets doctors accused of sexual abuse on patients keep practicing
Dawn Marie Basham answers the phone in tears.
“You caught me at a rough moment,” Basham explains between sobs.
Less than a week earlier, prosecutors had dropped charges against the Delray Beach doctor she said sexually assaulted her during an office visit. Basham feels alone, but she is far from it.
Other women say they are sexually victimized by their physician.
And while some South Florida doctors eventually lose or give up their licenses, others continue to practice even after they admit to sexual misconduct on a patient, a Palm Beach Post investigation led by its sister newspaper, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, found. A convoluted complaint system in Florida can end up protecting these doctors, giving them every opportunity to mitigate discipline. Read more…
