Pentagon Fired 244 Gay Doctors, Nurses, Medical Specialists, New Data Show; Shortage in Medical Personnel Prompts Experts to Question Policy

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SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Jan. 25 /U.S. Newswire/ -- A University of California research center released data today showing that the military has fired 244 medical specialists under the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The figures, which cover 1994 through 2003, the first ten years of the policy, were obtained from the Pentagon by the Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military (CSSMM) with the help of Rep. Marty Meehan. The information is being reported today by the Associated Press.

Dr. Aaron Belkin, director of CSSMM, said the discharges provide evidence that the gay ban is hampering military readiness. "The consequences of shortfalls in medical specialists during wartime are serious," he said. "When the military lacks the medical personnel it needs on the frontlines, it compromises the well-being not only of its injured troops, but of the overextended specialists who have to work longer tours to replace those who have been discharged."

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Pentagon Fired 244 Gay Doctors, Nurses, Medical Specialists, New Data Show; Shortage in Medical Personnel Prompts Experts to Question Policy

According to the new data, the 244 medical per...

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