# Is your google-fu better than mine? (Nurse in Pennsylvania lost her license for hosting porn site.) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 29, 2014, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-google-fu-better-than-mine-nurse-in-pennsylvania-lost-her-license-for-hosting-porn-site/687316 "2014-04-29T22:19:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-google-fu-better-than-mine-nurse-in-pennsylvania-lost-her-license-for-hosting-porn-site/687316/1 "2014-04-29T22:19:33Z")
I’ve read reports of this for years on nursing blogs and on nursing message boards, but I’m looking for an actual link to a contemporary news report or press release, or even a name to put to the story. I think this was supposed to have happened around 2008 or 2009, but I’m not sure. Here’s what I’m talking about: [http://nursinglink.monster.com/benefits/articles/4771-10-ways-to-lose-your-nursing-license?page=3](http://nursinglink.monster.com/benefits/articles/4771-10-ways-to-lose-your-nursing-license?page=3) > [@](#): > > 10 Ways to Lose Your Nursing License > > 1. Hosting a Pornographic Website > > Believe it or not – it happens. Just this last year, a nurse in Pennsylvania got her licensed revoked because she was hosting her own pornographic website. This most likely falls under “Unprofessional Conduct,” and it’s easy to chuckle at. But with today’s advancements in technology, and the widespread range of the internet, nurses who use their webcams to do a little work on a side may find themselves without a job. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-google-fu-better-than-mine-nurse-in-pennsylvania-lost-her-license-for-hosting-porn-site/687316/2 "2014-04-29T23:00:19Z")
I vote urban legend. I did about half an hour of searching newspaper archives. nada. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-google-fu-better-than-mine-nurse-in-pennsylvania-lost-her-license-for-hosting-porn-site/687316/3 "2014-04-29T23:03:49Z")
I recall some story like this, but I don’t think it was in Pennsylvania. And it may have been another internet legend anyway. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-google-fu-better-than-mine-nurse-in-pennsylvania-lost-her-license-for-hosting-porn-site/687316/4 "2014-04-29T23:07:11Z")
[Could it be this?](http://old.post-gazette.com/regionstate/19990810porn4.asp) I remembered this being reported from Arizona. The article says the couple was from Pennsylvania. The Post Gazette is a real newspaper, though that doesn’t mean the story is true. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-google-fu-better-than-mine-nurse-in-pennsylvania-lost-her-license-for-hosting-porn-site/687316/5 "2014-04-30T00:16:31Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > I vote urban legend. I did about half an hour of searching newspaper archives. nada. I’m afraid you may be correct. Closest I could come was this story, which appears to be out of the UK, where laws are a bit different: [http://www.techimo.com/forum/debateimo-politics-religion-controversy/187966-nursing-license-revoked-hosting-porn-site.html](http://www.techimo.com/forum/debateimo-politics-religion-controversy/187966-nursing-license-revoked-hosting-porn-site.html) > [@](#): > > Nursing License Revoked for Hosting Porn Site > Should hosting a porn site/community have any bearing on one’s primary profession when there is no apparent overlap between the two activities? > > > [@](#): > > > > Ann Osborne, 41, broke down in tears after the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s disciplinary committee yesterday decided her misconduct meant her fitness to practice as a nurse had been impaired. > > > > The committee later decided that Ms Osborne should be struck off rather than cautioned or suspended. > > > > […] > > > > Ms Osborne was sacked from Ivy House Special School in November 2004 after an anonymous letter containing photos of her having sex was sent to the head teacher and chairman of governors. > > > > She had worked at the Osmaston Road school, which caters for more than 60 pupils, since 2001. > > > > […] > > > > Committee chairman Valerie Morrison said they accepted that Ms Osborne appeared to have a good working record but a caution or suspension would be an “insufficient sanction.” > > > > She said: “We have concluded that Ms Osborne’s behaviour was fundamentally incompatible with being registered with the NMC.” > > > > Source: This Is Derbyshire (Derby Telegraph) Thank you for looking, though. I appreciate the effort. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-google-fu-better-than-mine-nurse-in-pennsylvania-lost-her-license-for-hosting-porn-site/687316/6 "2014-04-30T04:18:00Z")
Lucky she doesn’t own a basektball team. Do Americans really still think they are entitled to their own opinions and personal behavior? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-google-fu-better-than-mine-nurse-in-pennsylvania-lost-her-license-for-hosting-porn-site/687316/7 "2014-04-30T04:26:16Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Lucky she doesn’t own a basektball team. Do Americans really still think they are entitled to their own opinions and personal behavior? We certainly do, but by that same logic, others are also entitled to their own opinions, including opinions of your opinions. If you want to host a porn site, there’s no reason why I can’t say “That’s fine, you just can’t work for my private business while doing it”. One of the HUGE health groups around here won’t let you work for them if you have visible tattoos. I feel bad when I talk to nursing students and I see they have a tattoo on their neck (including the back of their neck) or their hands. I don’t think a lot of them realize how limited their employment is going to be in Milwaukee with tattoos there. ---
**Author:** ![Inna\_Minnit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Inna\_Minnit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inna_Minnit)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-google-fu-better-than-mine-nurse-in-pennsylvania-lost-her-license-for-hosting-porn-site/687316/8 "2014-04-30T04:32:55Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > I’ve read reports of this for years on nursing blogs and on nursing message boards, but I’m looking for an actual link to a contemporary news report or press release, or even a name to put to the story. I think this was supposed to have happened around 2008 or 2009, but I’m not sure. > > Here’s what I’m talking about: [http://nursinglink.monster.com/benefits/articles/4771-10-ways-to-lose-your-nursing-license?page=3](http://nursinglink.monster.com/benefits/articles/4771-10-ways-to-lose-your-nursing-license?page=3) I think you can check the status of any nurse’s license by looking at the state nursing board website. So if you had a name, you could verify. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-google-fu-better-than-mine-nurse-in-pennsylvania-lost-her-license-for-hosting-porn-site/687316/9 "2014-04-30T12:17:20Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > We certainly do, but by that same logic, others are also entitled to their own opinions, including opinions of your opinions. > > If you want to host a porn site, there’s no reason why I can’t say “That’s fine, you just can’t work for my private business while doing it”. > > One of the HUGE health groups around here won’t let you work for them if you have visible tattoos. I feel bad when I talk to nursing students and I see they have a tattoo on their neck (including the back of their neck) or their hands. I don’t think a lot of them realize how limited their employment is going to be in Milwaukee with tattoos there. You are correct, however the legend is not about her losing a job, but losing her license. Licenses are issued by the state, so we (might) have a bit of an issue with Free Speech should an agency of the State take action against someone for something like that. Or maybe not, I’m not sure. That’s kind of why I’m trying to find out if this is true. It’s come up a couple of times recently in conversations about “unprofessional conduct,” but the more I think on it, the more I wonder if it could be true in the US. Websites and legal porn are pretty well established as Speech here, and specifically protected. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-google-fu-better-than-mine-nurse-in-pennsylvania-lost-her-license-for-hosting-porn-site/687316/10 "2014-04-30T12:51:48Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > You are correct, however the legend is not about her losing a job, but losing her license. Licenses are issued by the state, so we (might) have a bit of an issue with Free Speech should an agency of the State take action against someone for something like that. Or maybe not, I’m not sure. That’s kind of why I’m trying to find out if this is true. It’s come up a couple of times recently in conversations about “unprofessional conduct,” but the more I think on it, the more I wonder if it could be true in the US. Websites and legal porn are pretty well established as Speech here, and specifically protected. I suppose that would be different. I would assume (but really have no idea) that the license is just a practical test of your knowledge, right? That’s assuming she was running a site that only had consenting adults, didn’t jeopardize her work etc. I mean, if she had kiddy porn or a hidden camera in a hospital bathroom or was stealing drugs that would be different. But if everything was 100% on the up and up, I’m not sure why the state would step in. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-google-fu-better-than-mine-nurse-in-pennsylvania-lost-her-license-for-hosting-porn-site/687316/11 "2014-04-30T13:48:53Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Lucky she doesn’t own a basektball team. Do Americans really still think they are entitled to their own opinions and personal behavior? Yes, we do. In particular, we think the other basketball team owners are entitled to their opinions as well. And we think that all the team owners agreed to empower a commissioner to police conduct associated with their voluntary association. In fact, they all also agreed that if three-quarters of their number voted in agreement, a single team owner could be compelled to sell his ownership interest in a team. So, yes, we are all still great believers in people being entitled to their own opinions and personal behavior. The rest of the league’s personal behavior is not to be trifled with, say we. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-google-fu-better-than-mine-nurse-in-pennsylvania-lost-her-license-for-hosting-porn-site/687316/12 "2014-04-30T14:12:54Z")
This XKCD comic came up about a week and half ago. Before, IIRC, the Sterling thing. It’s oddly appropriate. > **[Free Speech](https://xkcd.com/1357/)** > > I can't remember where I heard this, but someone once said that defending a position by citing free speech is sort of the ultimate concession; you're saying that the most compelling thing you can say for your position is that it's not literally illegal to express. From the mouseover (for those that aren’t familiar with XKCD): “I can’t remember where I heard this, but someone once said that defending a position by citing free speech is sort of the ultimate concession; you’re saying that the most compelling thing you can say for your position is that it’s not literally illegal to express.” ---
**Author:** ![Mithras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mithras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mithras)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-google-fu-better-than-mine-nurse-in-pennsylvania-lost-her-license-for-hosting-porn-site/687316/13 "2014-04-30T14:18:50Z")
Here’s a link to lists of disciplinary actions from licensing boards in PA by year/month: [http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/disciplinary\_actions/12528/disciplinary\_actions\_archive/571984](http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/disciplinary_actions/12528/disciplinary_actions_archive/571984) I only went through it a little as I don’t have the time to do an exhaustive check of them. I found a woman who had her license revoked or suspended for a conviction related to moral turpitude, but checking against the PA court website ([Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System](http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJ.aspx)) it appears that that one was a fight involving children or something. I wouldn’t be surprised if this turns out to be true. Given that a license can be revoked for being convicted of a crime of moral turpitude, I believe a nurse could lose their license for a crime related to running a pornographic website. I also know that the woman who was the U.S. Attorney for PA until 2009ish was targeting websites that sold pornography. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-google-fu-better-than-mine-nurse-in-pennsylvania-lost-her-license-for-hosting-porn-site/687316/14 "2014-04-30T14:23:21Z")
What am I, a potted plant? Look at post #4. [Tracy Miller](http://old.post-gazette.com/regionstate/19990810porn4.asp)and her husband, originally from Pennsylvania lost their nursing licenses in Arizona for running and appearing in a porn website according to the article. The remaining question is whether the published story is true. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-google-fu-better-than-mine-nurse-in-pennsylvania-lost-her-license-for-hosting-porn-site/687316/15 "2014-04-30T14:23:55Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I suppose that would be different. I would assume (but really have no idea) that the license is just a practical test of your knowledge, right? Nope. It’s a document that says I promise to be a good nurse, and the state promises to let me call myself a Registered Nurse in return. To keep my license, I must follow the Nurse Practice Act in my state. To quote myself from a paper I wrote for school recently: > [@](#): > > [The state nursing board] is responsible for the licensure of Registered Nurses, for approving Nursing education programs and for disciplining Registered Nurses who have been found in violation of the Nursing Practice Act. I fervently hope I never have dealings with them in that last capacity. To this end, I can review the Nurse Practice Act for my state and do everything in my power to act legally. This includes things such as not presenting myself as a Nurse Practitioner without holding that license and taking care to not “perform refractions and other determinations of visual function or eye health diagnosis,” (Nurse Practice Act), abusing or diverting drugs or engaging in fraud. It also lets me know my legal rights in the event I am brought in front of the board to defend my actions, such as the right to counsel. It lets me know what continuing education is required for me to maintain my licensure, and when and how to renew my license. The Nurse Practice Act is full of specific information that can be considered a list of do’s and don’ts if I want to remain a nurse in my state. However, the Nurse Practice Act includes some interesting and rather vague language referring to “unprofessional conduct,” with no further clarification of what this unprofessional conduct may entail: > > > [@](#): > > > > The President or chief executive officer of an association or society of persons licensed under this Article, operating within this State, shall report to the Board when the association or society renders a final determination that a person licensed under this Article has committed unprofessional conduct related directly to patient care… (Nurse Practice Act) > > ``` > To learn more about unprofessional conduct, I must turn to professional nursing organizations, such as the Visiting Nurse Associations of America (VNAA) and the American Nurses Association (ANA). In addition to providing opportunities for networking with other nurses, information about public policy issues of interest to its members and educational offerings, professional nursing organizations help to educate and communicate to members and to the public the professional roles and ethics which guide our practice. > > ``` So…that’s why most nurses believe that you can lose your license for hosting a pornographic website. Because they believe that “unprofessional conduct” is a very vague rubric. They believe a nursing association could weigh in and call it “unprofessional conduct,” and there’s not a whole lot of defense against that. But I’m beginning to have my doubts. I wonder if Freedom of Speech would be a very strong defense indeed, since the State is the one who issues the license and can take it away, and the Constitution has some pretty specific things to say about the State abridging the right to free speech (as opposed to a privately held company or association.) Or could they successfully argue that the State isn’t trying to take away your Speech, just your license? That it’s not the speech being stifled because you can keep your website, but this is the legally acceptable reaction to that speech (you have the freedom of speech, not freedom from the consequences of that speech…)? ETA: Plus, we all seem to forget that (in my state, anyhow) the Nurse Practice Act adds that “…related directly to patient care,” clause. So that to me makes it less likely. But every state has their own Act, and the language may vary. So it’s pretty complicated, which is why I wanted to start by finding out if this rumor was even true. If it’s not, the whole thing falls under the weight of a Strawman Argument. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-google-fu-better-than-mine-nurse-in-pennsylvania-lost-her-license-for-hosting-porn-site/687316/16 "2014-04-30T14:35:52Z")
Also, as I said before, even if it does turn out to be true, you can’t just stop there. Find out what was going on. Maybe the site was illegal (kiddy porn etc) or maybe it involved patients. Either of which, especially the latter, I could understand the state revoking her license for. ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-google-fu-better-than-mine-nurse-in-pennsylvania-lost-her-license-for-hosting-porn-site/687316/17 "2014-04-30T18:48:06Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Also, as I said before, even if it does turn out to be true, you can’t just stop there. Find out what was going on. Maybe the site was illegal (kiddy porn etc) or maybe it involved patients. Either of which, especially the latter, I could understand the state revoking her license for. I’ve seen some of their stuff. Definitely not kiddy porn, or anything that is illegal under what I understand to be US or any state law when it comes to porn. And this wasn’t anything recent - it happened during the last century. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-google-fu-better-than-mine-nurse-in-pennsylvania-lost-her-license-for-hosting-porn-site/687316/18 "2014-04-30T19:34:20Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > What am I, a potted plant? Hi, Phil. I do note that Dopers sometimes develop a thread blind spot one factual answer high by one factual answer wide. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-google-fu-better-than-mine-nurse-in-pennsylvania-lost-her-license-for-hosting-porn-site/687316/19 "2014-04-30T21:12:14Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > What am I, a potted plant? Look at post #4. [Tracy Miller](http://old.post-gazette.com/regionstate/19990810porn4.asp)and her husband, originally from Pennsylvania lost their nursing licenses in Arizona for running and appearing in a porn website according to the article. The remaining question is whether the published story is true. I did. That’s the couple that lost their jobs. I don’t see anything in the article that says they lost their licenses. Maybe I missed it, though. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-google-fu-better-than-mine-nurse-in-pennsylvania-lost-her-license-for-hosting-porn-site/687316/20 "2014-04-30T21:21:34Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > I did. That’s the couple that lost their jobs. I don’t see anything in the article that says they lost their licenses. Maybe I missed it, though. Sorry, you’re correct. I conflated the info in the article with other things I read about the Arizona licensing for nurses. The article doesn’t specifically say they lost their licenses. In the end I didn’t see anything on the Arizona State Nursing Board site that would indicate their licenses would be pulled for that. eta: i guess that’s one reason i get treated like a potted plant. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-google-fu-better-than-mine-nurse-in-pennsylvania-lost-her-license-for-hosting-porn-site/687316.md?page=2)