No Reason to ‘Crush’ Former Doctor Over COVID Stance, Lawyer Says

The former NZ opthalmologist has already lost his profession and his business but authorities were intent on ‘crushing a man,’ his lawyer told the court.

People walk up to a vaccination centre in Balmoral, Auckland, New Zealand, on Sept. 16, 2021. Fiona Goodall/Getty Images

New Zealand’s Ministry of Health wants a former eye doctor “to remember his mistake forever and a day,” his lawyer has told the Napier District Court.

Dr. Phil Macdonald had already lost his medical career and business over his stand on the government’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate, and there was no purpose to be served in convicting him, counsel David Jones KC argued.