A Curia poll has found 54% supported a proposed law change to limit regulators’ powers to discipline medical practitioners for their personal opinions.
It also found 57% would not change doctors or nurses who treated them well – but expressed political views they disagreed with. Additionally, 48% supported a recent proposal to prevent regulators from taking action over views expressed outside of work.
The proposed Regulated Professions Neutrality Bill, drafted by law firm Franks Ogilvie, goes beyond the medical regulators covered by the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003. It is intended to protect against the ideological weaponisation of regulatory agencies, instead refocusing their role on patient and consumer protection in a wide variety of fields. Read more at Scoop, this opinion piece by RCR contributor David Harvey at Law News, or read the Curia poll at Free Speech Union NZ.
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Image credit: Ahmed
