Gov. Gavin Newsom is poised to enact legislation that would create a medical cancel culture, according to a physician who opposes Assembly Bill (AB) 2098.
“It's a form of government control because they want to control the narrative,” said Dr. Reed Wilson, a Beverly Hills cardiologist. “It's a step beyond cancel culture because in canceling, you get on with your life but maybe you don't get sales from these people, but you do get sales from those people. AB 2098 threatens you won't be able to practice at all.”
AB 2098, if signed by Newsom, would strip physicians of their license to practice for prescribing treatments with off-label drugs that are unapproved by the state with a goal of curbing the dissemination of alleged disinformation about COVID-19 and its vaccines.
The California General Assembly approved the measure 56-20 on Aug. 30, however, the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons called on Newsom to veto it.
“Physicians must not be coerced into blindly following the establishment ‘consensus’ and refraining from entering into the debate that is crucial to advancing both science and rational public health policies,” the letter states. “AB 2098 will harm the welfare of California patients, the integrity of the medical profession, and the well-being of the entire state.”
AB 2098 would classify perceived disinformation as unprofessional conduct.
"It removes the intent of the physician-patient relationship," Wilson said. "What knowledge do the bureaucrats have and how are they going to enforce this? It's a shame that it's come to this, that our bureaucrats think that they know best."
Gov. Newsom has until Sept. 30 to sign it and if he does, government force will be driving scientific consensus rather than an evolving debate and the incremental evolution of evidence, according to media reports.
“In order to pass such a bill, you're making a grand assumption that there is such thing as consensus on rapidly evolving topics and that's going to be very difficult,” Wilson added. “Even on some staid and true ideas, it's still going to be hard to get a consensus. That's why medicine is called ‘the art of medicine’ because there is no definite answer of what to do for each individual.”