Laws clash over privacy, reporting abuse

In the Courts. By Tanya Albert, AMNews staff. Nov. 11, 2002.

An 11-year-old girl went to a pediatrician's office with her mother in March 2002, complaining of stomach cramps. The pediatrician examined her swollen stomach and ordered a pregnancy test. It came back positive.

During two separate visits, the pediatrician asked the child about her sexual history. He also questioned her mother. Both denied that the child had ever had intercourse, and the child denied having a boyfriend, according to court records.

The male pediatrician then called in a female colleague to talk to the child. Still, the child denied that anyone had touched her inappropriately.

Suspecting pregnancy -- but also still wondering if the test may have been a false-positive or if it could be indicating a malignancy -- the pediatrician referred the child and her mother to an obstetrician-gynecologist to confirm whether she was really pregnant. He also hoped an ob-gyn would be able to get a detailed history about how the child became pregnant, according to court records.

After the pregnancy was confirmed, someone called the police and told them that the suspected father was a man in his 70s that the girl met through an "Adopt-a-Grandparent" program. Several charges are filed against the man, including two counts of fourth-degree sexual assault.

Prosecutors also filed charges against the pediatrician.

In April, Bridgeport, Conn., pediatrician Mukeshkumar Shah, MD, was charged with two counts of failure to report a case of suspected child abuse or neglect. It's a civil charge that carries up to a $500 fine. The accusations also caused the state medical board to open a case against Dr. Shah. [...]