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When Going to the Doctor Feels Like Rape
“My experiences with doctors did not improve. For years I avoided gynecologists and any other doctor who needed to examine my private parts. I pleaded my way out of all the pelvic exams I could, and the ones that I couldn’t avoid felt like rape, with terrible pain and violation.” READ MORE of this article by Chris Bodenner: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/10/health-story/626104/ 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 healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information on this blog for their own situation, or if…
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Women with past adverse childhood experiences more likely to have ovaries removed, study shows
“Our current findings suggest that physical, emotional or sexual abuse predisposes women to seek medical attention for multiple gynecological symptoms, such as abdominal pain or excessive bleeding,” says Liliana Gazzuola Rocca, M.D., a Mayo Clinic health sciences researcher and psychiatrist. “These gynecological symptoms may lead the women and their gynecologists to opt for removal of the reproductive organs at a young age ─ even when these organs are completely normal.” “Unfortunately, in most cases, these early life experiences are inaccessible to the women because of psychological mechanisms, and the gynecologists may not be aware of the important connection between early life experiences and the present symptoms. This inability to recognize and openly…
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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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Abused and sterilized by her doctor
. . .”As in hundreds of cases the AJC identified nationwide, it points to the powerful trust that comes with being a physician, how that can be wielded to take advantage of the vulnerable and the harm it can cause. Brumett was among the most defenseless — a woman with deep-seated psychological problems and limited education — and she suffered damage beyond repair. . . ““I practiced law for 40 years, and I never encountered a client who was so obviously devastated,” said Morris Klapper, an Indianapolis attorney who represented Brumett in lawsuits that allowed her to collect $700,000 from Indiana’s Patient Compensation Fund. . . “‘I was humiliated and…
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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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License to Betray
“A broken system forgives sexually abusive doctors in every state, investigation finds . . . “In Kentucky, Dr. Ashok Alur was examining an infection on a patient’s abdomen when he entered forbidden territory. He told the patient she had sexy underwear. Then, he rubbed her and placed his mouth on her genitals. The patient pushed him away and went to police. “It was so beautiful,” the doctor told her later, when she confronted him. “I couldn’t resist.” . . . READ MORE of this article by Carrie Teegardin, Danny Robbins, Jeff Ernsthaisen, and Ariel Hart: https://doctors.ajc.com/doctors_sex_abuse/?ecmp=doctorssexabuse_microsite_nav Medical Disclaimer: The information on this blog is for educational purposes only. It is not…
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94 Women Allege a Utah Doctor Sexually Assaulted Them. Here’s Why a Judge Threw Out Their Case.
“Mateer was shocked, she said, when Dr. David Broadbent reached under her gown to grab and squeeze her breasts, started a vaginal exam without warning, then followed it with an extremely painful examination of her rectum. . . “Under Utah’s rules of medical malpractice, claims made by victims who allege a health care worker sexually assaulted them are literally worth less than lawsuits brought by someone who was assaulted in other settings — even if a jury rules in their favor, a judge is required to limit how much money they receive. And they must meet a shorter filing deadline. “It’s just crazy that a doctor can sexually assault women…
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Psychological Harms of Pelvic Exams
“There is a lack of research on the harmful psychological effects of pelvic exams. The lack of research highlights how the harmful effects from pelvic exams have largely been ignored, or have been considered not important enough to warrant investigation. The small amount of research that exists has mainly been conducted with the goal of addressing women’s “anxieties” with the exam, and has been done for the sole purpose of learning how to harness women’s compliance. . . READ MORE of this article by Sue: 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…
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Metro nurse accused of sexually assaulting patients faces new charges, more victims
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A Kansas nurse caught molesting patients still woozy from anesthesia was back in court Monday to face his victims and new charges. Investigators said it took a long time to stop accused nurse Dennis Clark because his crimes happened when people were sedated or coming out of sedation. Officials say Clark spent his career sexually assaulting women at their most vulnerable. . . READ MORE of this article by Shannon O’Brien with Fox 4 News: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10798817/Nurse-sexually-assaulted-patients-sordid-videos-women-anaesthetic-court-hears.html#:~:text=A%20male%20nurse%20sexually%20assaulted,the%20’grossest’%20possible%20way 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…
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A Brief Overview of How Male Medicine Co-Opted the Midwife’s Role in the Birth Process
. . . Medicine gradually gained control of the birthing process and eliminated the lay midwife. The first step in this process would be the establishment of medicine as a profession. Once this was accomplished, the formation of professional associations with lobbying power in individual states would become an effective method for controlling licensure and limiting the activities of midwives as well as placing legal sanctions on them. All of this occurred while females were barred from entering the profession of medicine. . . READ MORE of this article by Leonard F. Vernon, Sherman College of Chiropractic, Spartanburg, SC, USA: https://www.scirp.org/html/2-1440513_59725.htm Medical Disclaimer: The information on this blog is for educational…
