'Immoral' ban on 'sexual orientation' phrase in 'Physician's Oath'

The phrase 'sexual orientation' in the Physician's Oath to be read at the ceremony has been banned by the faculty dean's office.

The reason given for banning the phrase, which is known as the Physician's Oath and is included in the World Medical Association's Declaration of Geneva, was that it was found to be 'contrary to morality.'

According to a report by Öncü Durmuş from BirGün, the graduation committee, consisting of students and teachers who have been preparing for the graduation ceremonies for about 3 months, first faced interference from Vice Dean Mervan Bektaş regarding the program.

"THERE ARE TWO GENDERS"

It was learned that Bektaş called the academics on the committee and said, 'We will not use this phrase,' and when students went to talk to Bektaş, they received the response, 'Are you going to defend pedophilia too?'

During the meeting, it was learned that Bektaş replied, 'If pedophilia is legitimized in the declaration tomorrow, will you defend that too? There is no such thing as sexual orientation. There are two genders.'

Following this, Dean Prof. Dr. Gürkan Öztürk, who met with the students in his office, targeted them by saying, 'As long as I sit in this chair, I will not allow LGBTI propaganda. You are being used as tools for propaganda as physicians.'

"WE DO NOT ACCEPT REACTIONARY BANS"

On the other hand, it was alleged that a group of students acted in coordination with Dean Öztürk following the banned phrases. According to the claim, it was stated that a group of students organized religious gatherings and acted together within the school under the direction of Dean Öztürk and former Provincial Health Director and AKP Bolu Mayoral Candidate Muhammed Emin Demirkol.

Following the discussions, the students announced that despite all the pressure and reactionary interventions, they would read the 'sexual orientation' phrase at the graduation ceremony, declaring that they did not accept these reactionary bans.

A statement was made by the 6th-year students of the Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University Faculty of Medicine, and a call was made to the public.

The statement included the following expressions:

“The decision to remove the phrase ‘sexual orientation’ from the Physician's Oath, which states, 'I will not permit considerations of age, disease or disability, creed, ethnic origin, gender, nationality, political affiliation, race, sexual orientation, social standing or any other factor to intervene between my duty and my patient, ...' is clearly contrary to the universal ethical values of the medical profession and human rights. The medical profession is fundamentally based on impartiality, equality, and respect for human rights.

Removing this phrase from the text is a grave violation of the essential values of our profession and the dignity of medicine, and is an absolutely unacceptable situation. The original text of the Physician's Oath constitutes the essential roadmap for practicing our profession in line with the universal medical principles of Hippocrates.

Imposing such discrimination at the very beginning of our professional lives will deeply damage our principle of providing fair and equal service to all segments of society and will shake the motivation and ideals of the youngest physicians starting their careers. The Physician's Oath is a sacred text that reminds us of our ethical values and professional responsibilities as we step into our professional lives.

With the determination to practice our profession with the high ethics and honor it requires, aiming to be physicians worthy of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's quote, 'Entrust me to Turkish physicians,' and respectful of universal ethics and principles, we declare to our dean's office, the professional organizations we are affiliated with, the Ministry of Health, and all international organizations that we will not compromise on this matter in any way as physicians who follow in Atatürk's footsteps and are committed to contemporary and universal values.

We declare that we will resolutely continue our loyalty to the medical profession and our commitment to universal values, remaining bound to the ideal of building the bright future of the Republic of Turkey. In this context, we demand that the Physician's Oath be read in its original form at our graduation ceremony. We invite the entire public and official administrations to show high sensitivity on this issue and to take the necessary steps. We once again strongly emphasize the necessity of practicing the medical profession in a way that respects universal ethical principles and deontology.”