Dr. Michael Terranova was contracted with the Lancaster (NY) High School to give physical exams to student-athletes, clearing them with good health (or failing them) for the activity in which they want to participate. However, he was fired from the school after refusing to clear a 12-year-old girl who wanted to wrestle boys on the school’s wrestling team.
In Dr. Terranova’s professional opinion, the young woman simply could not compete on an aggressive physical level with testosterone-filled boys on her age-level. If she competed, she would be easily over-powered, physically over-whelmed, and easily wounded.
And so, the doctor did what any reasonable physician would do when conducting a physical; he failed the student based upon physical deficiencies that would likely result in the student’s harm.
However, the school board at Lancaster High School wanted to find a doctor who would give a dishonest physical opinion, and so they terminated Terranova’s contract.
The doctor stated in a comment for the press, “Dr. Terranova was one of three individuals tasked with the assessment of the girl’s application to wrestle on the boys’ team. Permission was denied based on objective standards mandated by the state. This decision was motivated by concerns for the student’s safety and physical maturity. Despite public outcry initiated by the student’s parent, any form of discrimination is strenuously denied.”
The school board then ended their 35-year contract with the pediatrician’s clinic and overrode his decision with an appeals panel.
Now, the girl will be able to get routinely beat up by boys.
Yay for women. Girl power.
The student told WaPo, “It’s because I’m a girl and they don’t want girls taking the opportunities from the boys. But there’s no such thing as a sport just for boys. Every sport is for everyone, and he just doesn’t want girls to outshine the boys.”
We pray for a day that men will begin to respect women, and not beat them up and physically dominate them.
