“Head Nurses” for Disabled Patients: Another Academic Freedom Controversy

Is oral sex good medicine for a paralyzed man in a hospital? Yes, according to a patient, Syracuse University professor William Peace, who was paralyzed in an accident several decades ago. Peace recounted in a positive manner his experience of receiving oral sex from a “head nurse” at the hospital, an experience he said “reaffirmed my manhood and masculinity in a way I will forever appreciate.” His story appeared in an academic bioethics journal called Atrium, which is published by Northwestern University. Following this, Atrium published an issue titled “Bad Girls” which focused on the intersection between disabilities and sexuality. At this point, Northwestern administrators stepped in to provide a new editorial process that conformed to traditional academic standards—and to make their journal sound less like a soft porn tabloid and more like a science journal. Now, Prof. Alice Dreger has resigned her faculty position at the elite school, citing concerns over institutional censorship. Her lengthy resignation letter is here: http://alicedreger.com/sites/default/files/Dreger%20resignation%20from%20Northwestern.pdf