Protests on climate change GP suspended for five months

A doctor who took part in a ‘peaceful’ protest about climate change should be suspended for five months for multiple breaches of a court order, a court has ruled.

The Medical Tribunal Panel (MPTS) has decided to suspend the registration of Doctor Birmingham Dr Sarah Benn for a period of five months.

The GMC emphasized that Dr Benn had been referred to the MPTS for multiple breaches of court orders, which resulted in a prison sentence, rather than for protesting climate change.

The MPTS considered evidence relating to Dr Benn breaching a court order by attending protests at a Warwickshire petrol station in 2022.

It concluded that by ‘repeatedly’ breaching the court order Dr Benn’s actions ‘constituted misconduct’.

If a doctor receives a custodial sentence after a civil trial, the GMC considers this to be an ‘indicator of the seriousness of their actions’ and may lead to an appeal to an independent trial at the MPTS, similar to the GMC’s approach to criminal convictions. .

A GMC spokesman said: ‘Dr Sarah Benn was taken to the Medical Examiner’s Tribunal not for opposing climate change, but for multiple breaches of court orders which resulted in a lower sentence.

“Like all citizens, doctors have the right to express their personal opinions on issues, including climate change.

“There is nothing in our guidelines to prevent them from doing so, nor exercising their right to lobby the government and campaign, including participating in protests.

“However, patients and the public rightfully have a high level of trust in doctors and that trust can be lost if doctors repeatedly fail to follow the law.

“Our suitability to investigate focuses on cases that are referred to us and where doctors have broken the law, not their motivations for doing so. It is not the role of regulators to decide UK law – that is a matter for parliament.’

Dr Benn told Pulse: ‘Climate change poses a threat to humanity. I broke the law, a law designed to protect the interests and profits of the oil industry, an industry that is killing our planet.

‘I broke the law out of desperation, trying my best to protect life and health in an emergency. The GMC has shown no understanding, no leadership and no moral courage in punishing me in this way. There will be no medicine on a dead planet.’

Last week the court held a misconduct investigation, according to a group of environmental activists Leave Only the Oil.

Just Stop Oil described Dr Benn as a ‘supporter’ of the organisation, and said he was involved in ‘peaceful protests’ calling on the Government to ‘stop new oil projects’.

Dr Benn is registered but not licensed to practice as of 30 August 2022.

In 2022, Dr Benn wrote to Pulse about her experience in a women’s prison, saying she ended up there because she told a judge she had no regrets and intended to return to protesting.