Comments on: Medical Rape and the Medicalization of Childbirth

By: lsrj.org » Blog Archive » Ave Maria, sancta Maria?

lsrj.org » Blog Archive » Ave Maria, sancta Maria? — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 04:22:49 +0000

[...] I haven’t talked to my friend about this yet, because she was upset enough as it is. And my knowledge of medical malpractice law in this regard isn’t very extensive. But there are some extremely sketchy consent issues going on there. In fact, it sounds like medical rape. [...]

By: Hilary

Hilary — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 09:37:14 +0000

ANOTHER thing (think I’ve had enough to say?)
I wasn’t aware of the terminology “rape” I thought it was a loosely used term. Yes…as a teenager I was raped by another boy my age and told no one. After weeks of having my internal wounds fester, my sister took me to her most trusted OB/GYN for an exam. He was sensitive to the story and was even empathetic while conducting the examination. I felt a little more trusting but still very afraid.
Now, the disturbing part of this story is later, when I was 19, I came to the same GYN because I had trusted him since my early incident at 15. I was currently being treated for polycystic ovarian syndrome. While conducting the exam, I felt him touching my clitorus. I just froze stiff, not sure of what I “thought” was happening to me. Then after the exam and ultrasound, and I had got off the table, still in robe, he urged me to his desk, by patting me on the butt (which was exposed through the gown) I am not sure if this was a cultural difference I was not used to, as this doctor was an Arab immigrant practicing with his wife (they owned their own office and were very reputable people—responsible for helping hundreds of women conceive, my sister being one them). 4 years after this incident, I saw a news special about this same man, who apparently did this same thing and more to other women and was being investigated. Eventually, he was tried and found guilty of numerous accounts of patient rape. Funny how some women found him a saint, others a devil. Also something interesting— the man who I was in a serious relationship with at the time was deaf at birth…the same OB/GYN who had been seeing him was the same doctor who treated his mother and was her pregnancy doctor. He used forceps on my Bf causing the auditory nerve to be crushed. My ex’s father could’ve strangled that doctor…. but that’s a whole ‘nother story. I brought that up as a side illustration of how all events seem to be connected and for a purpose I cant seem to understand just yet.
Midwifes are capable of violation, as I’ve had my breasts fondled intrusively after the birth in her attempt to get me started on breastfeeding. Something I was totally uncomfortable with, but given her firery personality dare not question her. Now I know better, if something doesn’t feelk right, you gotta put your foot down.

By: Hilary

Hilary — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 06:01:18 +0000

I would like to add…. that I do still value the home birth approach (sadly, I can’t have another one because of health conditions I wasn’t aware of). I am partially to blame for the outcome of the birth and postpartum period because I did not choose my midwife wisely. It was my first birth, so I was naive, and did not ask all the questions I should have asked. I wasn’t assertive with my midwife when I should have been. I should have made known my boundaries a little more clearly. I am afraid of doctors, I’ve been treated by MANY in my life so far, many for GYN problems. I should have followed my OWN intuition when I knew there was something going terribly wrong, and when I felt myself becoming severely ill. A lot of the time, no one can know whats best for the woman except for the woman. A doctor doesn’t always know, a midwife doesn’t always know. My previous response was very emotionally charged. I failed to credit my midwife one thing: she obviously cares about the women she treats, she cares about herself, & she cares about the future of home birth.

The tragic thing in this whole story is that medical politics is so strong, and “medical rape” becoming such an often coined phrase, that the real needs of the patient fall by the wayside in the fight between doctors vs. midwife. And that’s the unique situation I found myself in.
Unfortunately the medical practice today whether public(as in the case of hospital births) and private (use of midwife at home) is rapidly becoming corrupt. So, the core issue here is to be what is the best interest of each and every individual woman. For this topic blanket generalizations are hazardous.

By: Hilary

Hilary — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 05:36:05 +0000

what about when the midwife is a “rapist”? I’ve been severely betrayed by my midwife in a time when I needed her after the birth. She was bossy with me, during labor–ignoring the cues I was giving her. My husband couldn’t be as much a part of the birth as we wanted, and to top it off, my midwife, 2 days postpartum, began a long rant at me, yelling even, how I was “divorcing” my son because I didn’t want to breastfeed, and that I was “failing” him. I have severe PTSD which I made her aware of, and there was no sensitivity to that issue.

Of course there is a gamble when one takes a midwife, home birth SHOULD be a beautiful thing, but in my opinion and sadly enough, the midwife practice can be as corrupt as the more sterile, “cruel” hospital route. I am still recovering from the physical and emotional trauma, and I am in to my second month. I was unable to receive prompt medical treatment because by midwife was so convinced that I was “fine” and that going to the hospital was unnecessary and even dangerous to me because of all this “Mars Attack” bias.
I had a severe UTI, endometritis, and postpartum fever, and was hospitalized for 7 days.
Whats more, I had to protect her by not mentioning that I had a home birth (She told me that her license was taken away), because the local doctors were after her, and she ran the risk of being arrested. The people I live with are very good friends of hers and were furthering to put pressure on me. I had to lie to the doctors about having a midwife so they performed painful examinations on me that in reality, were completely unnecessary had they known I had a midwife, they would have had a better idea of how to go about things regarding my birth-related infection.

I hate to be the opposing one here, but I think its my duty to provide perspective. My pain and trauma has been swept under the rug long enough, I am sure there are lots of other women out there in the same position.

By: Violation of bodily privacy by a physician « don’t ya wish your girlfriend was smart like me?

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:05:34 +0000

[...] Also semi-related: this older post from Feministe. [...]

By: MC Kean

MC Kean — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 07:32:14 +0000

“Medical Rape” is a good term. I do not care if the intent is “education”; it is education by rape. The criteria that an act of rape be an act performed for the sake of the offenders sexual gratification is not rational. In that case then rape for the sake of extracting information may be torture but it is not rape. Rape for the sake of revenge is assault but not rape as it was not for the sake of sexual gratification? Furthermore, the disrespect of women’s autonomy, of their dignity reinforces a rape culture, establishes a cult of secrecy and provides the space for sexual assault of women in hospitals. They lie and tell us hospitals are safe places for women but they are not. After repeatedly requesting female only care while I was under anesthesia, and this request repeatedly being violated I suffered physical trauma and an STD infection indicating rape. So the medical rape lead to a sexual rape. It was covered up. Physicians argue that if they did not cover up what is going on women would not seek medical care and think this justifies the lies rather than reform. So, even if you request males be excluded, even if say no practice exams, even if they perform a little play that goes something like, “Oh, look we have an all female team. How unusual, enjoy girls. bla bla bla.” It is a lie, as soon as you are all the way under the men enter the room, and you may be left in male care after surgery. It seems these surgeons are trained to lie and rape patients.

By: Day of Blogs » 28: Medical Rape

Day of Blogs » 28: Medical Rape — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 02:48:04 +0000

[...] recently shared her story of violation at the hands of a doctor and was ruthelessly attacked and insulted by another blogger for the mere suggestion that rape might be a proper word to describe the [...]

By: Meredith

Meredith — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 23:12:23 +0000

@ Sara C:
You wrote:
“The problem with this is not that med students did pelvics as much as the patient is NEVER informed or consented that a pelvic exam will be done at all during the surgery!

Take med students out of the picture. How often does a doc tell the patient that they will be doing a pelvic for a routine c-section? Never. The OR nurse does a pelvic, the resident/assistant does a pelvic, and the attending surgeon does a pelvic.

This is a problem of consent, NOT med students practicing.

Docs dont consent for pelvics during ob/gyn procedures in surgery.”

I’m an MD and worked as surgical coordinator in an OB/GYN’s office prior to medical school. While I know this practice is not universal, the GYN for whom I worked always included exam under anesthesia as part of the consent process. While in medical school, I encountered exam under anesthesia while on a gynecologic oncology rotation, where examination under anesthesia was done and was also part of the consent process. Prior to surgery I believe it is standard of care to perform a physical exam on the part of the body on which you are operating to evaluate anatomy, particularly in the case of a tumor which needs to be localized prior to cutting.

Truthfully, however, pretty much any patient undergoing anesthesia is going to be exposed while under, whether during the preparation, catheter placement, draping, etc., so exposure is not just limited to gynecologic surgery. I’ve never found any staff member (RN, MD or otherwise) to be anything less than absolutely respectful of patient’s privacy and dignity, and I’ve never seen a patient left exposed unnecessarily. I think I’ve had the good fortune to work in excellent hospitals though, I know this can’t be the case everywhere.

By: Debs

Debs — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 21:31:41 +0000

Just to let any women affected by the issue of obstetric or gynaecological violation know I have set up the Medical and Obstetric Rape Awareness Group, an awareness-raising project, so that women can share their experiences. Debs x

By: Judy Slome Cohain

Judy Slome Cohain — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:03:44 +0000

” No matter what the doctor did, it could not begin to compare to the original assault”. Correct. What the doctor does is MUCH worse. We need a new word.
I suggest Mars Attack.
Thats right. I was raped by someone I didnt know, and in less than 5 minutes, the little prick held a knife to me, pulled down my pants and was in and out. I wasnt a virgin and I just dont give it weight. It was 25 years ago. I wasnt physically hurt. I knew no action would be taken against him. Bad, but nothing compared to the large episiotomy that was done to me for no reason, that took weeks to heal. Nothing compared to a million unnecessary cesareans a year.

It isnt rape because, when you are raped, usually the rapist is not convincing you that it is good for you. There is something honest about rape- it is only good for him and he knows it. he is not waiting for you to have an orgasm before he comes or anything.

I suggest we use the word
Mars Attack. You know- from the Movie “Mars Attack”-
The martians say
“We come in peace, we come in Peace,”
and then the kill everyone with these fiery nuclear weapons.

What some doctors have done to women in front of me(acting as a nurse, doula or midwife), is not rape.
It is just like those aliens in Mars Attack. THey come as if they are kind health professionals, and they take money for f*cking up your body, and leave you dead in a pile, never to fully recover.
And i am going to start a blog now and collect women who agree.