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[IP] Big Brother is now talking to your doctor?





Begin forwarded message:

From: Declan McCullagh <declan@xxxxxxxx>
Date: August 10, 2004 9:21:30 AM EDT
To: politech@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [Politech] Big Brother is now talking to your doctor? [priv]

--

From: "Chuck Mauthe" <cmauthe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "'Politech'" <declan@xxxxxxxx>
Subject: big brother is now talking to your doctor
Date: Mon, 9 Aug 2004 15:26:44 -0400

original is at
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/9345310.htm?1c

Posted on Sun, Aug. 08, 2004
Fessing up to doctor costs drinker his license

A Lebanon County man admitted that he drank a 6-pack a day. A Pa. law
required PennDot to be alerted.

By Patrick Kerkstra
Inquirer Staff Writer

Like most people, Keith Emerich thought he could tell a doctor anything.

So the 44-year-old print-shop pressman answered honestly when asked during an office visit whether he drank alcohol. Yes, he said, six to 10 Budweisers
a day.

That candor cost Emerich, of Lebanon, Pa., his driver's license.

In a strict reading of a Pennsylvania law that requires physicians to report
patients with conditions that might "impair the ability to control and
safely operate" a vehicle, the doctor notified the Pennsylvania Department
of Transportation of Emerich's appetite for brew.

With nothing more to go on than two check marks on a one-page questionnaire,
PennDot revoked Emerich's license indefinitely.

Emerich thought it was a joke when the notice arrived in the mail last April Fool's Day. His driving record was pristine since a conviction for driving under the influence 23 years ago, and he said he does not mix drinking and
driving.

"What I do in the privacy of my home is none of PennDot's business," said Emerich, who is appealing the agency's decision in Lebanon County Court. A
ruling is expected within weeks.

...


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