The Supreme Court has upheld a Texas law that prevents veterinarians from giving advice to pet owners online, according to the LA Times.
The move comes after Ronald Hines, M.D., a vet in Texas, was fined by the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners after giving advice to pet owners online. Hines challenged that, saying it was a First Amendment right for him to offer such advice. However, the high court ruled that it is not a free-speech right.
The ruling could have implications for the growing use of telemedicine by providers for human patients; already there's debate in the Lone Star State over the practice, with the state's medical board ruling that a physician cannot prescribe medications via telemedicine without first having an in-person visit with the patient. Article