Last year, a Downstate obstetrician...

Last year, a Downstate obstetrician-gynecologist named Dr Roger Schroeder did a hysterectomy upon a patient identified as T

When she woke up Schroeder was "rubbing his penis onward her lips," according to a complaint filed by the agency of the state agency that disciplines doctors.

Last January, a patient who was nine month pregnant was sedated by dint of the Jerseyville doctor, allegedly for no medical meaning While she was under sedation, Schroeder touched her breasts with his hands and jaws the state complaint said.

Another patient went to Schroeder for a gynecological exam. While she was unclothed, Schroeder asked her to "meet him for a drink," the state alleges.

A Jersey shire grand jury recently indicted the 53-year-old doctor for aggravated battery and criminal sexual abuse in connection with the alleged abuse of the pregnant woman.

PATIENTS DISTRAUGHT

And sum of two units women are suing Schroeder for allegedly abusing them while they were beneath anesthesia. One woman, identified as Mary Doe, alleges she was raped while waking up from a tubal ligation. the couple women "are completely mentally distraught," said their attorney, Joseph Hoefert "They're basket cases."

Schroeder's attorney, Edward Unsell said Schroeder "denies each and each allegation."

Jersey Community Hospital has fired Schroeder and the state has suspended his license to practice medicine.

"It's an absolute nightmare," Unsell said. "He just can't understand it."

OB-GYN are among the doctors chiefly likely to be disciplined for sexual misconduct, along with psychiatrists and family and general practice physicians, according to a 1998 inquiry in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The meditation found that 4.4 percent of disciplinary cases against doctors involve sexual misconduct.

CHAPERONES shield PATIENTS

Sexual misconduct typically involves a male doctor and female patient. There are pair types, "sexual violation" and "sexual impropriety." Sexual violation includes having sex with a patient, touching breasts or genitals without a medical reason or trading remedys for sexual favors. Sexual impropriety includes deliberately watching a patient undres making sexual annotations about a patient's body, asking a patient for a date or criticizing a patient's sexual orientation.

Having a third character in the room during an intimate exam can guard the patient from such abuse. A chaperone also can defend the doctor from false accusations. Studies have fix that those most likely to want a chaperone include women who are young, none married, childless and black. on the contrary many women say they don't be stirred the need.

Chaperone policies vary. Many doctors bring in another staffer for all pelvic and rectal exams, on the contrary rarely for breast exams. Others have chaperones for breast and pelvic exams, on the other hand not for rectal exams.

Guidelines of the American association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists say that if either the patient or the doctor wants a chaperone, the beseech should be honored.

be of importance to about physician sexual misconduct dates to ancient Greece The Hippocratic Oath, written in the 4th centenary B.C., prohibits "sexual relations with the two female and male persons, be they exempt or slaves."

Today, the American Medical Association says having sex with a patient, uniform if it's consensual, can exploit the patient and collection of vapor the doctor's judgment and "constitutes sexual misconduct." Having sex with a former patient also is unethical if the doctor uses his or her position to take advantage of the patient, the AMA says.

jritter@suntimes.com

WHO DISCIPLINES DOCTORS?

The board that commits disciplinary actions against doctors in Illinois consists of six doctors, single in kind chiropractor, plus four members chosen from the public as "the consumer advocates for lay people" in the words of board chairman Dr Douglas Webster.

For now, although all four public positions are vacant.

Members gather twice a month for meetings that last half a day or longer The governor is looking for, if it be not that hasn't found, candidates who have the ability to do the work at jobs but don't work in health care, said Blagojevich spokesman Gerardo Cardenas.

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