St. Petersburg physician Dr. Mona Mangat admits that she wasn't really paying attention this past spring when the Florida Legislature was debating what became known as the "Docs vs. Glocks" bill, the controversial piece of legislation championed by the National Rifle Association that prohibits pediatricians from asking any questions about gun use or ownership unless it is relevant to their patients' care or safety.
But she says once she did become aware, she was outraged, and wonders what the Legislature might contemplate next when it comes to intervening between a doctor and his or her patient.
"Will it be okay for the legislature or the governor to make it illegal to ask parents of asthmatic children if they smoke? Would it be okay with them if we ask patients with sexually transmitted diseases about their sexual habits or if they use protection? Is it still going to be okay to ask patients if they drink alcohol or use intravenous drugs? Are the proponents of this law trying to practice medicine without a license? I think so."
Mangat spoke out Tuesday morning at a news conference held at All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, where state Representative Rick Kriseman announced his co-sponsorship of a bill that would repeal the law next year.
This article appears in Sep 8-14, 2011.