{"id":2020468,"date":"2023-09-02T18:04:01","date_gmt":"2023-09-02T22:04:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/florida-doctor-reinstated-after-losing-board-certification-for-criticizing-covid-19-vaccines\/"},"modified":"2023-09-02T18:09:01","modified_gmt":"2023-09-02T22:09:01","slug":"florida-doctor-reinstated-after-losing-board-certification-for-criticizing-covid-19-vaccines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/florida-doctor-reinstated-after-losing-board-certification-for-criticizing-covid-19-vaccines\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida doctor&#8217;s board certification reinstated despite criticism of COVID-19 vaccines."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fflorida-doctor-reinstated-after-losing-board-certification-for-criticizing-covid-19-vaccines%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2020468&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div data-post-content=\"true\" class=\"post_content\" id=\"post_content\">\n<h2>A Florida Physician Fights Back Against Censorship<\/h2>\n<p>A\u2063 Florida physician known for being \u2064outspoken about COVID-related topics has regained his board certification that was\u200b stripped because he publicly \u2062criticized COVID vaccines.<\/p>\n<p>Now, \u200dDr. John Littell is moving \u2063forward from the experience with\u200b plans to help future \u200bphysicians defend themselves\u2062 when disciplined for voicing viewpoints that are not in \u2062the majority, he told The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Littell, a longtime \u2062family physician in Ocala and a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/4-bombshell-stories-censored-by-big-tech\/\" title=\"4 Bombshell Stories Censored By Big Tech\">medical school professor<\/a>, began posting videos sharing his thoughts about COVID-19 testing, treatments, and vaccines early in the pandemic. He was frustrated to \u2063find his content\u2062 often\u200d was pulled down from\u2064 his\u200d YouTube channel.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>Related Stories<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Musicians Sue North Carolina Symphony Over COVID Vaccine Mandate Controversy &#8211; 9\/1\/2023<\/li>\n<li>Judge Allows Professor Fired for Questioning COVID-19 Vaccination to \u2063Sue University &#8211; 9\/1\/2023<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>But he fought \u2063against what he \u200bsaw as censorship by \u2064moving the content to other\u2064 platforms, such as Rumble, he said.<\/p>\n<p>Then,\u200b in January 2022\u2064 and again\u200c five months later, he received warning \u2063letters from the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM), the \u200dorganization that issued \u200dhis certification for his medical specialty.<\/p>\n<p>The letter stated that his videos on YouTube and \u200dRumble\u200c spread &#8220;medical misinformation&#8221; and could put his board certification in jeopardy, he said.<\/p>\n<p>The ABFM declined to comment on\u200d the matter because \u200dthe board&#8217;s &#8220;policy indicates we are unable to\u2064 comment about \u2062professionalism\u2064 cases,&#8221; an unidentified spokesperson said in an email to The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n<p>The\u200b ABFM is the third largest\u2063 of the 24 boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties. More \u200cthan 100,000 family medicine doctors are\u2063 certified\u2062 by the board, according to its website.<\/p>\n<p>To \u200ckeep their certification, physicians\u200c must uphold \u200bthe board&#8217;s ethical standards and &#8220;guidelines for professionalism, licensure, and\u2064 personal conduct,&#8221;\u2064 the website states.<\/p>\n<p>In letters from the board, Dr. Littell was told his\u2064 public statements violated those guidelines.\u2063 Dr. Littell responded \u2064to \u200cthe letters and continued to speak publicly and post videos about the subjects, he said.<\/p>\n<p>Months later,\u2062 when he didn\u2019t hear back, he said\u200b he thought the threat was \u200bgone.<\/p>\n<h2>Outrage Over Ivermectin<\/h2>\n<p>That \u2064changed after \u200che was escorted out of\u200b a\u2062 Sarasota Memorial Hospital board meeting in February for\u2062 approaching a board\u200b member behind the dais.\u200c He \u200bwanted \u200bto thank the board member, he said, for letting \u200bhim speak at the meeting. He didn&#8217;t\u2062 realize\u200b that move \u200bwould be seen as inappropriate, he said.<\/p>\n<p>Though he&#8217;s cared for many patients in hospitals, he&#8217;d never \u2064attended a hospital board meeting, let alone a contentious one, he said.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2064 day,\u200d medical freedom activists filled the boardroom to speak against the public hospital&#8217;s policies during the COVID-19 pandemic. \u2062Many were angry their loved ones were denied the opportunity to try \u2062ivermectin, an antiparasitic for humans and\u200c animals widely used\u2064 by some in treating COVID-19, and other treatments.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Littell spoke cordially to board members from \u2063the podium, an Epoch Times reporter confirmed. He told board members how treating patients with ivermectin had been his key to success in \u200dhelping\u2062 them recover. And he praised hospital personnel for their work during the pandemic.<\/p>\n<p>Shortly after \u200dthat, security \u2064guards escorted him\u2062 outside.<\/p>\n<p>A video of Dr.\u200c Littell&#8217;s removal \u2062from the meeting by security \u200cguards \u2063was posted to social media and received millions of\u2064 views and\u2064 media coverage. And that thrust him back\u200c in \u200cthe spotlight as a doctor vocal about COVID-19\u200d policies.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I had a target \u2063on\u2063 my back,&#8221; he \u200bsaid.<\/p>\n<p>He questioned whether someone else would have been removed for\u200c the same reason.<\/p>\n<p>Many doctors have faced consequences for questioning the efficacy \u2064and safety of \u200bCOVID-19 vaccines and for advocating for the use of medicines such as\u2062 ivermectin \u2063in \u200dthe treatment \u200bof the disease.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S.\u200c Food and\u200c Drug \u2064Administration\u2063 (USDA) wrote \u200din one social \u2062media post about ivermectin: &#8220;You are not \u200da\u200d horse. You are not\u2064 a cow.\u2063 Seriously, y\u2019all. Stop it.&#8221; It\u200b linked to a page entitled &#8220;Why You \u200bShould Not Use Ivermectin to\u200d Treat or Prevent COVID-19.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Three doctors sued the FDA over the statements, saying it had no power to tell doctors which \u200cdrugs \u200cto prescribe.<\/p>\n<p>On\u2063 Sept. 1, a federal \u2064court ruled that the agency likely overstepped its authority when it told Americans to &#8220;stop&#8221; using ivermectin against COVID-19. The\u200d FDA \u200bcan inform, but has &#8220;no authority&#8221; to recommend consumers &#8220;stop&#8221; taking medicine, U.S. Circuit Judge Don Willett wrote \u200din \u200cthe ruling.<\/p>\n<h2>Accused of &#8216;Spreading False&#8217; \u2063Information<\/h2>\n<p>The month after \u200cDr. Littell spoke\u200c in Sarasota, the\u2063 board sent a letter saying\u200d he&#8217;d been de-certified for &#8220;spreading false, inaccurate,\u2063 and misleading materials about COVID-19, COVID-19 vaccination, and \u200ctreatment\u2063 and mitigation of the virus,&#8221; The Epoch Times confirmed.<\/p>\n<p>A letter reviewed by\u2063 The\u200d Epoch Times\u2063 stated that if Dr. Littell appealed the decision \u2062within 20 days, he would continue to be represented by the board, pending a \u200creview of \u200dhis case\u2062 by the\u200c professionalism\u200b committee\u200c of the ABFM board of directors.<\/p>\n<p>The reason for the decision to review his record was because\u200c of his past\u200c suggestions the COVID-19 vaccine was a \u200dproduct\u2062 of genetic engineering, causing deaths in children and causing \u2064the rise of the Delta variant, the letter indicated. It also referenced\u2063 &#8220;false&#8221; statements made by Drs. Ryan Cole and Robert Malone, who spoke\u2062 at a medical freedom\u200b conference Dr. Littell organized in \u2064October 2022.<\/p>\n<p>In the letter, the board also criticized Dr. Littell \u200cfor &#8220;offering to provide medical\u2064 exemptions from vaccination&#8221; to patients across the country and &#8220;publicly comparing the \u2063U.S. public health system&#8217;s response\u2063 to the COVID-19 pandemic to Nazi Germany.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>After receiving \u2062the troubling letter, Dr. Littell sought the\u2063 help of \u2062attorney Jeff Childers, a business attorney in Gainesville, \u200bFlorida.\u200b Since the COVID-19 lockdowns began, Mr. Childers \u2062has become active in lawsuits \u2062around the country related to medical freedom. He authors a daily blog called Coffee and Covid, which started by chronicling \u2062COVID-19 issues and now tracks other social \u200dand political issues as well.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Childers crafted \u2064a 64-page appeal\u200d to \u200bthe board, dissecting every accusation made against Dr. Littell, an Epoch Times reporter confirmed. And as word of the \u2063threat to\u200d Dr. Littell&#8217;s board certification spread\u2014a move that\u2063 would prevent him from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/florida-doctor-reinstated-after-losing-board-certification-for-criticizing-covid-19-vaccines\/\" title=\"Florida doctor's board certification reinstated despite criticism of COVID-19 vaccines.\">practicing medicine\u2014medical freedom activists\u200c rose<\/a> \u2062up to\u2062 take his side.<\/p>\n<p>A GiveSendGo.com campaign was\u2063 started to collect donations to fund his legal fees. More\u2063 than 6,400 \u2062people donated almost $255,000. And more than 1,900 pledged to pray for Dr. Littell.<\/p>\n<h3>The Global Covid Summit<\/h3>\n<p>The Global Covid Summit, an international group of doctors focused on \u2062medical freedom in COVID-19 treatment, sent a letter signed by 169\u200b doctors to the ABFM \u2062in support of Dr. Littell. In the letter, they argued that \u2062the board was false in \u2062every\u2064 accusation made \u2064against Dr. Littell.<\/p>\n<p>Florida Surgeon \u200dGeneral Joseph Ladapo also voiced support for Dr. Littell.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;What they\u2019re doing is \u2064being a \u2063bully,&#8221; he said in an interview\u200c with The Floridian. &#8220;It\u2019s not going\u200b to\u200c age well.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I read the \u2062letter \u2062from\u200b the Board, and it\u2019s dripping with political \u2062animosity.<\/p>\n<p>Both Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) and Dr. Littell&#8217;s congresswoman, Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.)\u200c sent letters in his defense to the board, Dr. Littell said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I\u2019ve got \u200bto believe it&#8217;s not in the dozens, but probably in \u200bthe hundreds of people \u200bwho called and sent letters to the American Board of Family\u200b Medicine,&#8221; Dr. Littell said. &#8220;I never asked them to, but that is what was\u200d happening.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In July, Dr. Littell received word\u2064 that the board had reviewed his case and retroactively \u200bde-certified him for\u2063 three months, from March 16\u2062 to \u2064June 16. He \u200cnever stopped\u2062 seeing patients.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s like \u200da slap on the wrist so they\u2019d feel good about\u2063 it, but\u2062 wouldn&#8217;t,\u200c presumably, have \u200dto face \u2064any legal action,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>His attorney agreed.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;They did it \u200cin a very face-saving way,&#8221; \u200bMr. Childers said.<\/p>\n<p>But ultimately,\u200d he&#8217;s pleased\u2062 with the decision.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We were really surprised and gratified that we \u200dwere able\u2064 to achieve that result,&#8221; Mr. Childers said.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Littell credits it to being &#8220;a\u200c God thing&#8221; that he was able\u2062 to keep\u200d caring for patients and face a decertification period only retroactively.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;If they had said I\u200d was decertified, I would not have been able to do what I was \u2064doing. I mean, especially with the hospital care patients. I could have gotten into big trouble,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>He still may\u2064 face consequences for having the blemish \u200con his record, he\u200d said. He\u2019ll have to report\u2062 it to the hospitals at which he works and explain what happened, \u2064he\u200c said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Every time \u200dI go up for privileges\u2063 with\u200d a hospital or\u200d any other institution, \u200cthey&#8217;re going to say, &#8216;Well, has your license ever been suspended or\u200b revoked, and has your board certification \u200dever been revoked?&#8217; So, it&#8217;s still an issue. \u2062It\u2019s\u2063 not like you can just forget\u200d about it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s been advised by some other doctors, such as cardiologist Peter \u2062McCullough, to pursue legal action\u2062 for the disciplinary \u2064measure they feel was wrong, he\u2064 said.<\/p>\n<h2>Continuing to \u200cSpeak \u2064Out<\/h2>\n<p>Dr. Littell continues to speak out about the\u200b same topics. \u2063So he suspects he\u2019ll face retribution again, he said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The way \u2063I read the letter, it&#8217;s sort of like a warning,&#8221; Dr. Littell said.<\/p>\n<p>The board, he said, seemed\u2063 to be sending \u2064the warning, \u200b&#8221;If you act up \u200dagain, we know it&#8217;s a privilege to have this board certification, and it can be removed at any time.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>And the next\u200c time, the punishment is likely to escalate.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The \u2064implication \u2063is\u200d that if \u200cit happens again, it&#8217;s going \u2064to be more than just three months,&#8221; Mr. Childers said.<\/p>\n<p>Around the country, \u200da slew of doctors had board certifications \u2064removed \u2062and licensure threatened for sharing their COVID-related opinions.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Most people would probably be\u2063 surprised to find out there&#8217;s a lot of this going on, now that the pandemic is over,&#8221; Mr. Childers said. &#8220;From what I&#8217;ve heard,\u2064 there&#8217;s probably\u200c more challenges\u200d to doctor licensing right now than at any other time.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>But because most doctors\u200b aren\u2019t\u2063 vocal about receiving discipline, \u2062it\u2019s hard to know \u200bexactly\u2064 how\u200c often it\u2019s occurring, he said.<\/p>\n<p>Doctors who have been active on social media seem to be targeted more often by medical authorities, \u200dhe said.<\/p>\n<p>Doctors who were not actively\u2062 posting their thoughts \u200babout\u2062 COVID-19 on social media &#8220;should feel very confident that if they follow a similar approach to what Dr. Littell\u2062 did, they could hope for a good result at \u200cthis point,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Obtaining good\u2063 legal advice is key, he said. It also helps to spread the word.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;All too often doctors either ignore these kinds of\u200d letters\u200c until it&#8217;s too \u2062late because they&#8217;re embarrassed, or they try to handle it on their own,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s important that people know\u2062 when this happens. And if they&#8217;ll let \u2063folks\u2063 know, they&#8217;ll find \u2063that they get a lot \u200bof support.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Littell has\u200c no plans to keep quiet\u200d about what he feels went \u2062wrong during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I\u2019m not letting up,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>He&#8217;s organizing his third annual medical freedom summit in\u2062 November called &#8220;Food, Family &#038; Medical \u200bFreedom&#8221; \u200bin Ocala, Florida\u200c at the World Equestrian Center.<\/p>\n<h2>Helping \u200dFuture Doctors<\/h2>\n<p>He intends to use the remaining money \u200cdonated to his legal fund to help others respond\u2064 to similar licensure problems, especially threats \u200bfaced \u200dby medical students, he said.<\/p>\n<p>He&#8217;s trying &#8220;to come up \u200dwith a legal, legislative, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/blackburn-says-facebook-whistleblowers-plan-would-silence-conservatives\/\" title=\"Blackburn Says Facebook Whistleblower\u2019s Plan Would Silence Conservatives\">public relations strategy<\/a>\u200d that \u200chelps future physicians,&#8221;\u2063 he\u2064 said. When they see\u2064 practicing doctors disciplined and &#8220;raked over the coals&#8221; for speaking out about\u2064 medical freedom issues, it deters good people from pursuing a degree in\u2062 medicine, he said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I would like the medical freedom fighters, as I&#8217;m calling them, to create a sanctuary for pre-med, especially, and medical school\u200b students.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Early \u200don, even in the colleges, they weed out the physicians who dare to question the narrative or challenge it,&#8221; he said, of those\u2063 who insist that doctors \u2063decrees made by \u2063federal \u200bhealth agencies.<\/p>\n<p>But asking questions and challenging prevailing \u2062thought is important to the goal of continually improving \u200cmedical \u2062treatments, \u200che said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;And that intellectual curiosity is what we\u2019re so \u200cdesperately lacking now\u200c in medicine, and\u200b in most professions.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>He also envisions the\u200c network expanding\u200d to help connect \u200clike-minded educators in colleges, \u2062universities,\u200b and medical schools to share \u200ctheir ideas without \u2062fear of being in opposition to &#8220;woke&#8221;\u2063 ideology, he said.<\/p>\n<p>He hopes to see that network push back against &#8220;lockstep \u2064mentality&#8221; and\u200c help students who\u2063 are suffering because of it.<\/p>\n<p>Medical students taught by Dr. Littell often tell him \u2064how difficult it is \u2063to be \u200bentering the field of medicine at this time, he \u2063said.<\/p>\n<p>One student told him that his second-year class \u2063was forced to be vaccinated\u200c for\u200b COVID-19, he \u200dsaid. Classmates were\u200c told by their university \u200dthey&#8217;d be &#8220;thrown out&#8221; of medical school in two weeks if \u200cthey didn&#8217;t comply, Dr. \u200bLittell said.<\/p>\n<p>The student\u200d told him that, although\u2062 more than half the class didn&#8217;t want the vaccine, they felt they had no other option, Dr. Littell\u200c said. Weeks later, the mandate \u2063was lifted. But it was too late\u2014many \u2063students already had submitted\u200c to getting the shot they didn&#8217;t want.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s like they [university officials] were \u200dplaying games,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And the students didn&#8217;t know\u2064 any better.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;They just don&#8217;t have enough support,&#8221; Dr. \u2062Littell \u200clamented. &#8220;They want to say\u200c things, but\u2063 they&#8217;re afraid\u2063 they&#8217;re going to get disciplined if they speak out.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>He\u2063 sees bringing people together to unite in\u200b their pushback against prevailing opinion as crucial to creating a better future for medical professionals.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Florida physician, had his board certification revoked for criticizing COVID vaccines. However, he has now regained it. Dr. Littell aims to support future doctors facing discipline for expressing minority opinions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2378,"featured_media":2020469,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2020468","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2020468","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2378"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2020468"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2020468\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2020469"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2020468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2020468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2020468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}