L.A. gynecologist accused of unwanted ‘religious counseling’ surrenders license

A Los Angeles gynecologist has surrendered his medical license after a state agency accused him of “unprofessional conduct,� including asking a patient about her religious beliefs after she disclosed having had an abortion.

Dr. Lucien O. Cox, 75, chose to retire and surrender his license as the accusation from the Medical Board of California was pending, according to an agreement signed in October by the doctor. Under the order that went into effect Tuesday, Cox gave up his right to a hearing on the allegations.

Peter Osinoff, an attorney for Cox, said that the claims involved two patients who had each seen Cox once.

If a hearing had occurred, “he would not have lost his license, or been disciplined severely,� Osinoff said in a statement. “He has never been the subject of any prior disciplinary action during his lengthy career as a physician.

“Rather than proceed to a costly hearing, Dr. Cox decided to surrender his license, as he had closed his office and had been planning to retire from the practice of medicine for some time,� Osinoff said.

The medical board is a state agency that falls under the California Department of Consumer Affairs. In an accusation filed by its executive director, the state agency accused Cox of “extreme departures from the standard of care� involving two patients. One patient alleged Cox asked if she had “Jesus in her life� after learning that the woman had undergone an abortion decades earlier.

The 63-year-old patient, who was visiting Cox for a routine exam three years ago, alleged that she repeatedly told the doctor that she was not religious, but that Cox continued to question her about whether she wanted to “go to heaven and avoid the devil.�

The woman said Cox encouraged her to attend his Bible study class, “offering counseling for women who suffer from guilt following an abortion,� according to the medical board accusation filed in October. The state accusation said that such “religious counseling� was “an extreme departure from the standard of care.�

Osinoff said the patient had acknowledged crying while talking about her medical history, so Cox, “a deeply religious man, advised the patient about a Bible study program that she might find helpful.�

“She advised him that she was no longer religious, and Dr. Cox did not pursue the subject. He did not offer to teach her about Christianity, and denies making any statement about the devil or about going to heaven,� Osinoff said in his statement.

According to the medical board accusation, the woman alleged that Cox proceeded without warning to perform a pelvic exam that the patient said was “extremely uncomfortable.�

Osinoff said a chaperone was present during the pelvic exam, and “there was no indication that the exam was more uncomfortable than usual,� nor was any injury alleged.

The woman lodged a complaint with the California Medical Board, which launched an investigation and found that another patient had complained about Cox to police years earlier. That patient alleged that during a pelvic exam a decade ago, Cox said he could not feel her uterus because her bladder was full, then tried to examine her uterus rectally without warning her beforehand, according to the medical board accusation.

The 42-year-old patient said she pushed Cox away and refused further examination, according to the accusation. She complained to the Los Angeles Police Department, which did not bring criminal charges.

Osinoff denied that Cox had attempted to examine her uterus rectally, saying he had told the patient that he could do such an exam, which she declined. A chaperone “confirmed that nothing unusual had happened during the entire visit, except that the patient departed the office without completing the exam,� Osinoff said.

Osinoff said the doctor “provided excellent care for thousands of patients in the Los Angeles community� during his decades as a board-certified OB-GYN.

Cox was listed online in physician directories for Southern California Hospital Culver City and Monterey Park Hospital. A Monterey Park Hospital representative said Cox had been part of its medical staff but declined to comment further. Southern California Hospital Culver City didn’t respond to an email seeking comment.