‘All examinations were medically indicated’: doctor on trial for sex assault defends practices
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This article was published 19/05/2023 (884 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A doctor on trial accused of sexually assaulting five women shot back angrily Friday at accusations he became sexually aroused while examining at least two of the alleged victims.
The exchange came as Crown attorney Renee Lagimodiere was questioning Arcel Bissonnette about his examination of a long-time patient who had come to him for a physical.
The woman, who court heard was at the time grieving the recent loss of a close family member, testified earlier in the trial Bissonnette, during a pelvic exam, repeatedly inserted and removed his fingers from her vagina and at the conclusion of the exam saw him with an erection.
“You were aroused after conducting the examination and you had an erection because the exam was for a sexual purpose,” Lagimodiere alleged.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Dr. Arcel Bissonnette arrives at the Law Courts for the first day of evidence in his trial in Winnipeg on May 1.
Bissonnette said it was his practice physical examinations for women included digital pelvic examination or bimanual examinations and pelvirectal examinations (during which a doctor inserts fingers into the vagina and rectum at the same time).
“All examinations were medically indicated,” he said. “If anything is missed, I am responsible. That’s why these examinations are done. And I take that responsibility very seriously.
“There is nothing I find arousing about a woman who… is still grieving, there is nothing erotic or sexual about that, that I find sexy. I have more compassion than that for my patients.”
Bissonnette, 63, is charged with five counts of sexual assault involving five female patients he treated at the Seine Medical Centre and Ste. Anne Hospital between 2001 and 2017.
“It’s the way I was taught and the way that I do it and there is nothing wrong in the way I practice.”–Arcel Bissonnette, accused
Bissonnette said he would not perform the bimanual or pelvirectal exams if the patient was pregnant, experiencing pain or said they didn’t want them.
“I would suggest to you it is not necessary at every appointment to do a bimanual examination,” Lagimodiere said.
“I disagree,” Bissonnette replied. “It’s the way I was taught and the way that I do it and there is nothing wrong in the way I practice.”
Bissonnette denied allegations he repeatedly moved his fingers in and out of the women’s vaginas. In testimony Thursday, he said he would have “repositioned” his fingers once as he examined either side of the vagina for abnormalities.
One alleged victim testified she visited Bissonnette for a referral to another doctor for the treatment of hemorrhoids when Bissonnette positioned her on her knees and elbows and inserted a vaginal speculum in her anus and opened it.
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Doctor accused of sex assault testifies exams were consistent with training
Bissonnette testified it wasn’t a speculum, but an anoscope, an instrument designed for insertion in the anus.
Regardless of the instrument, Bissonnette didn’t tell the woman he was going to be inserting anything in her anus, Lagimodiere alleged Friday.
“Yes, I did,” Bissonnette said. “Anytime I am inserting an anoscope, yes, they would be told and why they are doing it. If she had any problems with it, I wouldn’t do it.”
Lagimodiere argued the exam was unnecessary, given the women was visiting Bissonnette for a referral to another doctor.
“I disagree,” Bissonnette said. “I told her it was necessary and indicated to rule out other possibilities, anal cancer, rectal cancer and other issues such as inflammatory bowel disease… Those are all things that can be visualized by an anoscope with a simple one-minute examination in the office.
“It doesn’t cost anything to the medical system and gives me an immediate answer. It is a very cost-effective procedure.”–Arcel Bissonnette, accused
“It doesn’t cost anything to the medical system and gives me an immediate answer. It is a very cost-effective procedure.”
The alleged victims testified Bissonnette talked very little or not at all during the examinations and did not tell them what he was doing or why.
“You would agree that consent is obtained by telling patients what you planned to do and why, and ensuring your patients understand what you are explaining to them?” Lagimodiere asked Bissonnette.
“I always provided information what I was going to do and why and there was never any objection,” Bissonnette said. “There was ongoing dialogue every step of the examination.”
“Especially in the case of pelvic or rectal exams, you’re laying down in a position of vulnerability… We make sure we are careful. We don’t want there to be any surprises.”–Dr. Kimberly Wintemute, Crown medical expert
Earlier in the trial, a Crown medical expert testified about the importance of communication between doctor and patient.
“We explain what we are proposing to do and why,” said Dr. Kimberly Wintemute, a family doctor and assistant professor at the University of Toronto. “If we are using instruments, we show the instruments and describe how they work, talking one step ahead of what we are doing.
“It’s really part of obtaining consent,” Wintemute said. “Especially in the case of pelvic or rectal exams, you’re laying down in a position of vulnerability… We make sure we are careful. We don’t want there to be any surprises.”
Wintemute said pelvirectal exams are rarely done in family practice, given the availability of photo imaging.
“I would say I have never done one in my family medical career,” she said. “I can’t imagine a time in our current medical world where I would absolutely have to do that kind of exam.”
Bissonnette is also accused of exposing the patients unnecessarily during physical exams and performing unnecessary breast exams. He denied both claims.
The trial resumes Tuesday.
dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca
Dean Pritchard is courts reporter for the Free Press. He has covered the justice system since 1999, working for the Brandon Sun and Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 2019. Read more about Dean.
Every piece of reporting Dean produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
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History
Updated on Friday, May 26, 2023 5:03 AM CDT: Corrects timeline of alleged offences.
