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	Medical Board May Eye Doctor By Jayna Boyle San Angelo Standard-Times July 30, 2008 http://gosanangelo.com/news/2008/jul/30/medical-board-may-eye-doctor/ If convicted, a polygamist sect's doctor charged with failure to report child abuse may face restrictions on his ability to practice medicine in Texas, according to the state medical board. Dr. Lloyd H. Barlow, 38, was arrested Monday in Schleicher County and charged with three counts of failure to report child abuse. Each count is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $2,000 and up to 180 days in jail. Barlow could not be reached Tuesday for comment. Four other members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints were arrested Monday, and each charged with one count of sexual assault of a child. One man, Merril Leroy Jessop, 33, whose listed age is younger than that of the ranch leader and sect bishop of the same name, also has been charged with one count of felony bigamy. The men were named in indictments issued by a Schleicher County grand jury July 22. They surrendered to authorities Monday under arrangements made through their attorneys. All the charges except failure to report child abuse are first-degree felonies, punishable by up to life in prison. All five were arraigned Tuesday in Schleicher County. Justice of the Peace James Doyle said Barlow's bond was set at $5,000, while the others are being held in lieu of $100,000 bonds. Willie Jessop, a sect spokesman, said Tuesday that Barlow posted bond and was released, but the other four men remained in jail. The Schleicher County Jail confirmed that one of the men had been released Tuesday but refused to specify which one. The state attorney general's office says professionals such as teachers, doctors, nurses or child day-care workers are required to make an oral report within 48 hours of suspected abuse. The abuse should be reported to law enforcement officials or the Texas Department of Family Protective Services. Jill Wiggins, public information officer for the Texas Medical Board, said her agency has the authority to open an investigation into the violation of a medical practice as related to the charges Barlow faces. She could not confirm whether the medical board is pursuing an investigation, but she said the medical board could choose to take action based on the findings of a criminal investigation. The Texas Medical Board can give a doctor a public reprimand, impose a fine, place restrictions or conditions on a license, or suspend a license, Wiggins said. Given the type of violations that Barlow is facing, Wiggins said, if the medical board acts consistently with previous decisions, he might face a penalty that allows him to maintain his medical license, assuming he faces any such penalty. Doctors are required to renew their medical licenses in Texas every two years. Wiggins said they must take 24 hours of continuing education in that time, and some of that education is medical ethics. To become a licensed physician in Texas, Wiggins said, doctors must pass the Texas Medical Jurisprudence Exam, which covers laws pertaining to medicine and goes over the policy of reporting suspected child abuse. Marleigh Meisner, spokeswoman for Child Protective Services, said that to report suspected child abuse, a doctor should call the agency's hot line - the same hot line that the public uses to report abuse. Doctors may choose not to identify themselves, but it is more helpful if they do. CPS may contract with another specialist trained in identifying signs of abuse to examine the child, Meisner said. Physicians have a "moral obligation to help those who cannot help themselves," said Dr. Eugene Boisaubin, a professor of medicine and ethics at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. Doctors typically look for abnormal child behavior or any physical indicators, such as bruising. If a physician saw a pregnant girl who was clearly underage, Boisaubin said, a doctor may feel a greater obligation to tell CPS than to question the girl.
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