I empathize with Jeanette for the unpleasant confrontation she faced,
and understand the paed's (inappropriate) proprietary stance. I do not,
however, agree with him that only he can make decisions relating to that
child's care. That is clearly the exclusive province of the parents. The
physician does not own the rights to patients, ever, in my view. He has
to earn their trust so that they will want to consult him.

In the future, in dealing with this doctor's patients (or perhaps any),
it would be a reasonable option to provide the name of someone you know
who might perform the procedure, and suggest that the parents may wish
to discuss this with their paediatrician. Because there is some
implication that he would not have agreed about the need for clipping
the frenulum, I would clearly explain the rationale behind my
suggestion. I would also "vaccinate" them with the information that if
they are not satisfied after speaking to him, getting another opinion is
always an option.

Catherine Mallon
Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada