A district court judge in California on Wednesday blocked a bill that would have required physicians to follow strict COVID-19 guidelines when sharing information about the virus.
The bill, which was signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom in September, was blocked by Judge William Shubb. Five doctors sued the state's Democratic governor in November, claiming that he violated their constitutional rights.
1/ BREAKING: Judge just granted our request for a preliminary injunction against AB 2098–the gag order on physicians in CA–in our Hoeg v. Newsom lawsuit. This effectively halts the implementation of this terrible law while our case is being tried.
— Aaron Kheriaty (@AaronKheriatyMD) January 26, 2023
The judge's ruling was a positive development for the doctors, as it indicated that their arguments about the bill's constitutionality had a good chance of succeeding. Aaron Kheriaty, a doctor who was one of the plaintiffs, said that the ruling should not be taken as a final prediction.
The bill would allow the state's medical boards to discipline doctors who share information that goes beyond the recommendations of a modern scientific consensus. Opponents of the regulation claim that it would restrict the freedom of medicine and affect the relationship between patients and doctors.
Some experts also noted that the scientific consensus on various scientific issues can change over time. For instance, it can evolve in response to a new situation, such as the coronavirus pandemic.
"In November, a doctor noted that the statements made by some politicians during the pandemic were not based on the actual scientific consensus on the virus."
During the course of the pandemic, the WHO and other experts maintained that there was no proof of human-to-human transmission of COVID-19. Medical professionals also noted in 2021 that the vaccines would prevent the virus from infecting people.
The preceding is a summary of an article that originally appeared on Daily Caller.
