End the Silence: Ban Gag Clauses

Adverse medical events and medical errors rob patients & families of quality of life and often of life itself. The facilities/doctors in settling attempt to "compensate" victims for damages suffered. No amount of monetary compensation can ever truly recover the extreme and needless damages suffered thru these adverse medical events.

The facilities/doctors routinely impose gag orders demanding silence from victims. Malpractice lawyers and defendants reason this by saying that "compensation is in exchange for silence." Offenders rob patients & families, so offenders have no right to any such "exchange."

This is doubly punishing the victims, and further robbing victims of needed healing in the form of speaking out, and reporting the events as required by LAW. This unfair draconian practice of imposing gag orders is illegal, unethical, unconstitutional, and must STOP!!!

Harmful gag clauses compromise the integrity of the adversary justice system.  The only "exchange" that should take place is the victims' right of fair and equitable compensation for losses suffered! Victims do not owe the offenders anything! 

Through the contnued imposition of harmful gag clauses, Public Hazards such as medical errors are treated like "trade secrets," which is morally and ethically incorrect, as well as an extremely dangerous practice.  We must NOT protect PUBLIC HAZARDS in this murderous fashion!

It is unethical and inhumane to prevent injured parties from sharing pertinent information with others who are investigating or pursuing claims against the same offender. 

It is also unethical to threaten the careers of honest whistleblowers who act to protect the interests of public safety and prevent further adverse advents.

Gag orders prevent victims from finding the best qualified attorneys to represent thenselves in medical lawsuits.

The interests of harmful and dangerous business must never be placed above the interests of the people, the patients it serves. Gag clauses are nothing but greedy acts by those who are clearly afraid of the truth, and we must find alternatives within the civil justice system, or these cowards will continue to literally get away with murder, so long as the legal system plays along in the name of $.

No payment for recovery of damages exempts any facility from accountability under the law. Victims should not be forced to choose between lawfully reporting events and recovering losses.

Many states have implemented laws such as the NJ HEAL Law and the NJ Patient Safety Act, which require hospitals to publish adverse medical events, to create needed transparency for patient safety, and to protect the interests of public safety. These laws mandate full disclosure and publication of medical errors and HAI's. Both CMS and Joint Commission Standards mandate full disclosure and communication of such errors. The AMA Code of Ethics also mandates honest disclosure.

Despite these laws, offenders continue to manipulate and bully victims by attempting to "buy" their way out of needed justice, and pretend that these horrific events never happened. No business, no matter how big, is above the law.

We must ban these unfair gag clauses nationally, and find alternatives within the legal system to place heightened burden of proof of actual damages caused by breach of confidentiality.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world."
-Gandhi