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“If this change is made, there will be future victims of abuse who will be unprotected by our legislation,” the College of Physicians and Surgeons warns in a strongly worded submission to the Ontario health minister. “In our experience, vulnerability to sexual abuse can and does exist both within and outside spousal relationships.”

The exemption would side-track disciplinary hearings into lengthy investigations of whether a relationship between a doctor and patient was spousal, creating huge delays, the college predicts.

This issue has been the most concerning issue before the profession for a great number of years

For other groups, though, the change cannot come fast enough. The majority of dentists treat their spouses — and have for 150 years — and consider the law an unnecessary affront, said officials with the Royal College of Dental Surgeons.

“This issue has been the most concerning issue before the profession for a great number of years,” said Peter Trainor, president of the regulatory body. “It is absolutely wrong to equate, without any exception, the treatment of a spouse with sexual abuse. We feel this is absolutely draconian.”

Deb Matthews, Ontario’s health minister, said in an email that any matter dealing with sex abuse requires careful consideration but she expects to make a decision “very soon.”

The debate centres around provincial regulations enacted in 1993 that essentially say sexual relations between patients and health professionals — from optometrists to nurses to X-ray technicians — constitutes sexual abuse; the penalty is a mandatory five-year suspension and consent is not a defence.