Why Pennsylvania’s doctors are rallying against Oz’s Senate bid
Oz supported hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19 during the pandemic. He also owns stock in a supplier of the drug.
He believes that these real-world consequences require physicians like himself to put their finger on the other end of the scale.
Mehmet Oz, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, speaks at House of Glory Philly CDC in Philadelphia, Monday, Sept. 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Ryan Collerd)
“For someone who already doesn’t care about what harm making statements to patients will do to them, to put them on a national platform to give them that kind of power is so dangerous. And so I have to do everything that I can to try to prevent that from happening,” Tayler said.
Dr. Benjamin Abella, an emergency physician in Philadelphia, is no stranger to political activism. In October 2021, he co-organized Philadelphia’s Bans Off Our Bodies March in support of reproductive rights.
His decision to join Real Doctors Against Oz was motivated by threats to abortion rights from the Republican Party.
“This whole movement to criminalize reproductive health care and criminalize abortion has been very disturbing. As an emergency physician, I take care of many women who are in all sorts of complicated predicaments with reproductive health. And they need to hear their options,” Abella said in an interview.
He added that Lt. Gov. John Fetterman’s campaign for U.S. Senate has been clear and concise in his support for abortion rights.
“Conversely, Dr. Oz has wavered tremendously over the years and currently appears to be against reproductive health as we view it. Although this has not always been his position, he seems to, in many cases, blow with the winds. And I think this is one of the generally disturbing things that I feel Dr. Oz embodies, which is he doesn’t seem to share our core values as medical providers, values of truth, transparency, sticking to the science and the evidence,” Abella said.
He said that Oz’s background is full of “ethical transgressions” and the peddling of harmful treatments and therapies.
From Oz’s role in animal abuse allegations to his testimony during a 2014 Capitol Hill hearing regarding consumer protection, the Senate candidate has been under increased scrutiny for his actions over the years.
“For many years, I feel that physicians have had an attitude that politics was somehow beneath them, that they wanted to remain aloof or separate from our political conversations. But I think that it’s changing and I very much agree with that change,” Abella said.
To combat Oz’s campaign, the group of doctors has been holding press conferences, speaking as a collective on social media, and going door-to-door to talk to voters.
Tayler said that it feels like a separate job outside of his normal work duties.
“I’m very, very involved with canvassing on the weekends, so I’ll door knock for down ballot candidates. I have local candidates in my area. I’m trying to turn [Pennsylvania] blue as well,” Tayler said.
Despite the long hours, Abella said that their work is far from over.
“This is a very serious election with very serious stakes that will affect many people in Pennsylvania. And we want our patients to understand that and so we’ve been active with whatever tools we have and we will continue to remain active until the election,” Abella said.
Pennsylvania’s Senate selection will likely have a huge impact several major issues including abortion and voting rights, climate change, and gun control.
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