(LifeSiteNews) — A Christian doctor in Australia was found guilty of professional misconduct, not for substandard patient care, but because he had previously shared social media posts critical of abortion, LGBT ideology, and COVID-19 policies.
Dr. Jereth Kok was suspended over six years ago and lost his career.
His suspension was upheld on July 25 by the Victorian Civil and Administration Tribunal (VCAT), which decided that 54 of 85 social media posts published online over a 12-year period were examples of “misconduct” under the National Law.
The decision “sets a concerning precedent for freedom of speech in Australia, particularly for professionals who hold Christian or conservative beliefs,” declared a statement from the Human Rights Law Alliance (HRLA), the attorney group that represented Dr. Kok.
“It confirms that regulators like AHPRA and the Medical Board have significant powers to discipline practitioners not only for what they do in their clinical practice, but for holding and expressing unpopular social or moral views – even in a private capacity,” wrote HRLA.
“This is a deeply concerning shift in regulatory scope over personal speech,” noted HRLA. “For Christian professionals – and indeed for any professional who holds views outside the progressive mainstream – the implications are serious.”
Australia’s Family First organization slammed the VCAT decision to uphold Kok’s suspension, calling it a “gross injustice and a chilling attack on freedom of speech.”
“Dr. Kok has harmed no patient. His only ‘crime’ was to express his views online — many of them satirical or Christian in nature — and for that, he has been punished with the loss of his medical career,” said Family First’s National Director Lyle Shelton.
“This is not justice, it is un-Australian,” said Shelton. “This is Victoria’s ‘ministry of truth’ enforcing ideological conformity and crushing dissent.”
“The fact that a satirical Babylon Bee article and a Christian commentary on transgenderism were key elements in VCAT’s findings shows just how far gone the Victorian legal and political establishment is,” said Shelton.
“Anti-free speech laws masquerading under ‘anti-discrimination’ and ‘anti-vilification’ laws are part of each state and territory jurisdiction. This is a national problem,” continued Shelton. “They are un-Australian because they crush freedom of speech and they allow activists with hurt feelings to unjustly weaponise the legal system.”
“The government has no place limiting the rights for professionals to express political and religious views, especially in their private capacity,” he added.
“Maybe VCAT should consider changing its name to ‘The Ministry of Truth’, in keeping with its gatekeeping role regarding freedom of speech and any associated thought crimes of ‘doublespeak’,” asserted Christian commentator Mark Powell. “And yet, sadly, we probably have not reached our peak Orwell.”
