Paul M. Fleiss - Biography

Paul Murray Fleiss M.D. (born September 8, 1933) is an American pediatrician, breastfeeding advocate, and anti-circumcision activist based in Los Feliz, California.

He earned his B.S. in pharmacy from Wayne State University, his M.D. from the University of California, Irvine, and his M.P.H. from the University of California, Los Angeles. Fleiss is best known for his unconventional medical views; while he recommends that children in his practice receive recommended vaccines, he does not insist upon it. Fleiss appeared in an episode of Penn & Teller: Bullshit! on circumcision in 2005.

Fleiss is the father of "Hollywood madam" Heidi Fleiss. In 1994, Fleiss was charged with helping to conceal the income from his daughter's prostitution ring by depositing the money in his name. Fleiss pled guilty to three felony charges of conspiracy and bank fraud, and was sentenced to one day in prison and community service. Following the felony convictions, the Medical Board of California placed Fleiss on probation for 1 year and publicly reprimanded him for "unprofessional conduct" and "dishonesty".

Subsequently, in 2005, Fleiss was investigated for his role in the death from untreated AIDS of Eliza Jane Scovill, the daughter of AIDS denialist Christine Maggiore, who was HIV-positive. Against standard medical practice, Scovill was never tested for HIV, and Fleiss was investigated by the Medical Board of California for gross negligence in her care as well as in the care of a second child who was also HIV-positive. After receiving over 100 letters of support for Fleiss from patients and parents, the Medical Board reached a settlement in which Fleiss was not found grossly negligent, but did concede a failure to maintain adequate medical records and agree to regular review by an outside physician acting as a monitor.

Fleiss is on the board of Maggiore's AIDS denialist organization, Alive & Well AIDS Alternatives.

External links