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FL Pediatricians Win Notice for Taking on NRA

Florida's pediatricians are gaining national recognition for their one-sided struggle against the National Rifle Association and the "Privacy of Firearm Owners" law signed in 2011. That law forbade physicians from asking patients whether they have guns and ammunition at home.

Family practitioner Bernd Wollschlaeger of Miami, pediatricians Judy Schaechter and Tommy Schechtman,  the Florida chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical societies sued Gov. Rick Scott soon after he signed the bill.

They protested that it infringed on their right to free speech and patients' rights to hear what they had to say. A federal judge in Miami agreed, blocking enforcement. But the Scott administration has appealed that ruling.

This article in Slateresurrects this story in light of President Obama's executive order to override an NRA-backed clause that was added to the Affordable Care Act without much notice.  Even if you are already familiar with the Florida case, there is much to learn -- including the fact that legislatures in many other states are being confronted with the same bill that Florida doctors called the "gag law."

As

Wollschlaeger put it, “Our voices and our words matter. We have to stand up for what is right.”

In other gun-related news, Florida Todayhas published a list of what is allowed and not allowed under Florida law.

Originally founded in December 2006 as an independent grassroots publication dedicated to coverage of health issues in Florida, Health News Florida was acquired by WUSF Public Media in September 2012.