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'Gay Conversion Therapy' Doctor Sacked For Having Sex With His Patients

'Gay Conversion Therapy' Doctor Sacked For Having Sex With His Patients

Dr. Mervyn Iscove, 72, has been found guilty by a disciplinary committee

Tom Wood

Tom Wood

A Canadian Psychiatrist who thinks that homosexuality is an illness has been struck off after it emerged that he sexually abused two of his male patients.

Dr. Mervyn Iscove, 72, has been found guilty by a disciplinary committee of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario and lost his licence to practice.

So-called 'gay conversion therapy' is banned in the state of Ontario and the World Health Organisation removed homosexuality from the list of mental illnesses in 1992.

Dr. Iscove was found to have engaged in anal intercourse with one student, as well as engaging in mutual masturbation and oral sex with both of the complainants.

The doctor denies all of the charges against him and a penalty hearing will now take place. Licences are immediately suspended during a penalty hearing.

PA

Iscove's lawyer, Alfred Kwinter, told the Toronto Star: "We're both very disappointed with the result, obviously,

"Dr. Iscove has always denied the allegations, he continues to do so, and he's seriously considering an appeal."

The committee that ruled on the case said: "Neither complainant described any emotional or romantic aspects of the sexual activity with Dr. Iscove, and both said that at some point, they thought that the sexual activity was part of the therapy and an attempt to cure them of homosexuality by engaging in the acts, rather than fantasizing about them,"

Iscove was found to subscribe to the beliefs about homosexuals held by Dr. Edmund Berger.

Several passages of Berger's work were read at the panel, including: "All attempts to prove homosexuality to be anything but an illness had in my opinion failed" and "there are no happy homosexuals."

The panel's ruling also argued that Iscove: "Soften the effect of these passages, but in the end, endorsed or at least accepted them."

They continued: "Dr. Iscove also became evasive in responding to questions as to whether homosexuality should be considered an illness, and whether it was capable of being 'cured,' despite that these views were clearly held by Dr. Bergler."

"Given that Dr. Iscove had admittedly devoted his professional life to studying and applying the theories of Dr. Bergler, it was not clear to the committee why Dr. Iscove refused to acknowledge that he agreed with Dr. Bergler on these points."

PA

"The sexual activity subsequently progressed to Dr. Iscove removing his penis from his trousers, then Patient A doing the same.

"This progressed on later occasions to mutual masturbation and oral sex. Patient A estimated that such activity occurred on between 10 and 20 occasions with oral sex occurring on one-third of the episodes."

Due to the nature of the allegations, both patients have been granted anonymity.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Doctor, News, Canada