You're talking about a top researcher in a field of OBGYN and Surgery and you're asking if you can dismiss his work because you don't like that he said a bad word on social media.

Seems like you have a great opportunity to analyze what makes you think this way, and why this mind set might not be helping you achieve what you want to in life.

No, OP, this is not a problem with your rationality. You’re doing fine. You made the correct call about judging methodology and conclusions of a field you’re not an expert in. But obgyn doctors nowadays do need to have sound legal instincts because US states have chosen not to define what medicine is criminal.

Here’s Dr. Marchand’s quote:

I'm an OBGYN She's just a lying piece of sh!t. There are no states where a woman must be on death's door. In all 50 states an OBGYN can terminate a pregnancy whenever THEY deem a woman's health is in danger. This is just a lie.

He called her a liar twice and it’s common knowledge that exceptions to the state bans are not for the HEALTH of the mother but for her LIFE. Are we asking too much for a productive researcher to closely follow the politics of his/her field? Yet, how could he be so misinformed when a frenetic computer hacker can via ambient news reports?

Any research should be taken seriously based on the facts and methods within the research. If you can't do that yourself you need to become sufficiently educated to evaluate it yourself or identify someone who can and ask them to do it. When you talk about "socials" and "reviews", in general no because you haven't specified if those people are qualified to review research.

If you can't evaluate it yourself nor identify anyone you can trust you can't draw a conclusion. If you try to draw a conclusion without that you are misleading yourself.

> Should the MD's research be taken seriously based on his socials, this response in particular, his reviews, etc.?

While the AJOG didn't have a problem with his research, and they know a lot more than I do...

And in general, attacking people's science due to a political opinion or character flaw is a silly thing to do...

In this particular case, there seem to be other good reasons to question this guy's research. Yes the sensitive field and the history of dumb remarks, but also the fact that other doctors have taken the risk of speaking up against him [0], [1].

Certainly, I would avoid this guy unless there was a serious reason not to. He does seem like a skilled surgeon, but, yikes.

0 - https://eu.azcentral.com/story/money/business/health/2017/10...

1 - https://www.wtaj.com/news/local-news/doc-revives-controversi...

With "Should the MD's research..." you've already shifted the odds toward "No."

Thanks to all who responded. You've given me a lot to think about. Appreciate it.

You can have an opinion about the research.

You cannot have an informed opinion about the research.

It's also ok to have no opinion about it.

It's ok to not have an opinion about most things.

Good luck.