Florida 'Docs Versus Glocks' Dispute Triggers ABA Resolution
A Florida law barring doctors from talking with patients about guns in their homes is spurring action by the ABA House of Delegates.
The House on Tuesday passed Resolution 111 opposing limits on physicians’ right to ask their patients about guns and gun safety. According to an executive summary (PDF) of the resolution, Florida’s measure will likely lead to similar legislation in other states.
The sponsors of the resolution see a constitutional problem with such gag rules. “The First Amendment does not permit individual states to require health care practitioners to conform their communications with their patients to the state’s preferences,” the executive summary says.
A federal judge in Florida has struck down Florida’s law as a violation of free speech, the Huffington Post recently reported. The state plans to appeal the case, known as “Docs v. Glocks.”
