Professor David Fergusson

I’m a huge fan of the work of Professor Fergusson, who is profiled in the SST. I especially admire someone who produces research, and defends it, even when it goes against his own personal views. He calls for more “evidence-based policy”, and I couldn’t agree more.

Some of his recent research findings include:

* domestic violence isn’t an exclusively male problem and much of it takes the form of low-level brawling involving both partners
* abortion significantly boosts a young woman’s risk of mental health problems
* cannabis use is linked to use of harder drugs
* circumcision of all baby boys could halve the rate of sexually transmitted diseases
* gays and lesbians suffer higher than average levels of mental illness
* low-level lead exposure negatively affecting children’s IQ
* confirmed sexual abuse was prevalent but found that some perpetrators were female and some victims were male.