Case of sacked GP has "chilling effect" on freedom of expression and belief
The UK Human Rights blog has offered a useful analysis of the implications of the case of a Manchester-based GP who was dismissed from the Government’s Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) for his views on the seemingly unrelated area of homosexuality.
Dr Hans-Christian Raabe co-authored an article with six other medical professionals in 2005 which observed the disproportionate representation of homosexuals among paedophiles and advised caution over the introduction of same sex “marriages” in the UK.
In 2011, his appointment with ACMD was revoked by the Home Office on the basis that the doctor had failed to declare his involvement in the study and that the article “raises concerns over his credibility to provide balanced advice on drug misuse issues”.
Dr Raabe has now lost his judicial review challenge against the Home Office’s decision after the High Court of Justice ruled that his dismissal from the ACMD was lawful.
Commenting on the ruling, the UK Human Rights Blog said:
“……the obvious concern about a judgment such as this is that it may have a chilling effect on the exercise of freedom of expression and freedom of belief, however fact-specific the ruling was. In particular, the Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Bill is moving towards its Report stage in the House of Lords on 8 July, and this decision undoubtedly has wider implications for the question of whether the Bill contains sufficient protection for the freedom of speech and freedom of belief of opponents of same-sex marriage.”
