Albury HoGPI participant Roland von Marburg is holding a talk on abortion. He is once again trying to use his status as a medical practitioner to intervene in public debates on the side of religious fundamentalism.
In this flyer for the talk, he is described rather grandly as a “specialist surgeon”.
But Roland von Marburg is not a specialist in any field related to women’s health, fertility, pregnancy or children. He Is an ear nose and throat specialist.
In 2003 this is what the Medical Practitioners Board of Victoria had to say about Roland von Marburg’s practice as an ENT:
Pursuant to s. 45(A)(2)(c) of the Medical Practice Act 1994 (as amended) the Panel
reprimands Mr Von Marburg for: failing to exercise care and skill in applying bandages to his
patients’ head that were too tight; failing to provide his patients an appropriate post-operative
management plan; failing to appreciate and respond to the post-operative pain experienced
by his patients and failing to appreciate the post-operative complications and respond to
them by appropriate referral.
The full judgement can be read here, it makes for damning reading.
Roland von Marburg’s practice as an Ear Nose and Throat specialist remains subject to a number of conditions.
From the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency:
Dr Von Marburg must not prescribe, possess, supply, administer, handle or dispense any drug of addiction
Registration is also subject to conditions that relate to personal health. These conditions are not publicly available due to privacy considerations.
None of this changes the fact that Roland von Marburg is entitled to an opinion as a private citizen. But when it comes to lecturing on the issue of abortion, von Marburg is acting outside his area of expertise. His fundamentalist views should be given no greater credence simply because of his (questionable) status as a medical practitioner.