The plainspoken doubt being expressed indirectly / by-analogy here is:<p>“Was their professional judgment impaired by their fetish?”<p>That <i>concern</i> is the correct one.<p>But: It doesn’t particularly matter how the fetish works, because people will assume that the existence of a fetish <i>guarantees</i> that judgment is compromised. That assumption will often be couched in terms of skepticism and doubt rather than as a flat statement of mistrust, especially here in the US. Unfortunately, the concern <i>is</i> valid, even when the frequent-but-not-always underlying assumption is not.<p>Has the licensing board ruled on whether or not patient abuse occurred yet?<p>If not, then, like, maybe don’t read this article at all. Wait for the outcomes of a professional evaluation. Don’t chase this particular ambulance. It’s not healthy to stop and admire a train wreck, and if it ends up <i>not</i> being a train wreck for patients, and professional care was given regardless, then it’s just gossiping about someone making irreversible physical edits to their body — a completely normal event around the world, starting at birth in many cultures, with widespread differences within each around how little/much editing is too little/much. I know HN likes to clamor about slipper slopes, and this is the sort of checkout aisle magazine headline fodder that leads to that:<p>Should someone who has had breast reduction surgery be permitted to perform them?<p>Should someone who has had leg lengthening surgery be permitted to perform them?<p>Should someone who has had a facelift be permitted to perform them?<p>Should someone who has had a tattoo be permitted to perform them?<p>Should someone who has had hair removal sessions be permitted to perform them?<p>Now, replace ‘to perform them’ with ‘to advise patients about them’; does the answer change?<p>Yes, amputation is ‘extreme’; so are many, many other voluntary (e.g. heart tattoos) and involuntary (e.g. dysphoria-treating surgeries) body edits. The level of concern expressed for the practitioner’s judgment should not be a function of the severity of edit, and we should always be alert for signs of corruption in those practitioners — whether it’s tattoos, leg lengthening, or limb amputation.