Medical Rape
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Colorado Embraces Broad Law Requiring Patient Consent For Pelvic Exams While Sedated
“DENVER (AP) — Colorado medical providers will need to get patients’ prior consent before medical students can perform pelvic exams on them while they are unconscious for a procedure under a bill signed into law Thursday. “In signing off on the law in her capacity as acting governor, Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera put Colorado with at least 20 other states that have consent laws on the books. But Colorado’s goes far beyond other states’ because it requires that the medical students be named ahead of time and meet the patient — a step one bioethicist is concerned might impede students’ chances to learn. . . READ MORE of this article…
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More States are requiring patients to give consent for med students performing pelvic exams
“There can be an intense disconnect between patient understanding and provider understanding on consent and procedures, said Phoebe Friesen, a bioethicist at McGill University in Montreal whose research helped bring the practice back into focus following the #MeToo movement. “Providers view these unconscious exams as strictly medical or educational; the vagina and other intimate areas are “just another body part,” so specific informed consent isn’t necessary. “But for patients, Friesen believes it’s absolutely necessary. Such exams can leave a patient feeling robbed of their bodily autonomy, or even retraumatize people who have survived sexual assault. “The solution is so simple,” Friesen said. “Just ask people whether they’re comfortable with this…
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She didn’t want a pelvic exam. She received one anyway.
“For medical students, performing unauthorized exams can leave a sense of discomfort that fades with time. But for the patients, the scars can run deeper, sometimes rupturing their sense of trust in health care providers. . . “Phoebe Friesen, a biomedical ethicist at McGill University, drew attention to the issue in 2018 with articles in Bioethics and Slate, which elicited stories from other women with the hashtag #MeTooPelvic. Dr. Friesen learned about the subject while leading a bioethics seminar at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, where she heard a narrative from some students that amounted to, “I can put my hand in this woman’s vagina because it helps with…
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Let’s Say it Plainly: Pelvic Exams Without Consent Are Rape
. . .But really, the fact that we need a law at all is troubling. It means that women’s bodies are up for grabs unless we say otherwise — that we have to proactively ask not to be penetrated, that the default assumption is that consent is irrelevant unless a law says otherwise. This is why the “no means no” model of sexual consent has never been enough; it presupposes that women are open to sex or penetration unless otherwise stated. That’s the reason most sexual assault experts now consider “yes means yes” the gold standard of consent — it’s the idea that the absence of a “no” is not…
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I felt raped: Breaking the Silence Around Gynecology Violence:
Specialists in sexual and reproductive health say that gynecological violence is a form of violence with many varied expressions, from unnecessary procedures, the pathologization of physiological processes, medical misinformation and maltreatment, aggressive practices that provoke harm and injuries, and even inappropriate and violating comments like those that both women heard — all of which are experienced during gynecological care beyond pregnancy, childbirth, and puerperium. . . READ MORE of this article by Anaiz Zamora, Greta Rico: https://womensmediacenter.com/women-under-siege/i-felt-raped-breaking-the-silence-around-gynecological-violence Medical Disclaimer: The information on this blog is for educational purposes only. It is not intended in any manner as professional medical advice. I am not a medical doctor. The reader should consult a…