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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsA Doctor on Transvaginal Ultrasounds
from:
http://whatever.scalzi.com/2012/03/20/guest-post-a-doctor-on-transvaginal-ultrasounds/
Guest Post: A Doctor on Transvaginal Ultrasounds
March 20, 2012 By John Scalzi 548 Comments
A friend of mine is a physician who wants to speak about transvaginal ultrasounds but whose position makes it precarious to speak publicly about it. So Im letting this doctor borrow my site for an entry to speak anonymously on the matter. Obviously, I will vouch for the doctor being a doctor and being qualified to speak on the subject.
Where Is The Physician Outrage?
Right. Here.
Im speaking, of course, about the required-transvaginal-ultrasound thing that seems to be the flavor-of-the-month in politics.
I do not care what your personal politics are. I think we can all agree that my right to swing my fist ends where your face begins.
I do not feel that it is reactionary or even inaccurate to describe an unwanted, non-indicated transvaginal ultrasound as rape. If I insert ANY object into ANY orifice without informed consent, it is rape. And coercion of any kind negates consent, informed or otherwise.
In all of the discussion and all of the outrage and all of the Doonesbury comics, I find it interesting that we physicians are relatively silent.
After all, its our hands that will supposedly be used to insert medical equipment (tools of HEALING, for the sake of all that is good and holy) into the vaginas of coerced women.
Fellow physicians, once again we are being used as tools to screw people over. This time, its the politicians who want to use us to implement their morally reprehensible legislation. They want to use our ultrasound machines to invade womens bodies, and they want our hands to be at the controls. Coerced and invaded women, you have a problem with that? Blame us evil doctors. We are such deliciously silent scapegoats.
It is our responsibility, as always, to protect our patients from things that would harm them. Therefore, as physicians, it is our duty to refuse to perform a medical procedure that is not medically indicated. Any medical procedure. Whatever the pseudo-justification.
Its time for a little old-fashioned civil disobedience.
Here are a few steps we can take as physicians to protect our patients from legislation such as this.
..more..
agreed! hope many doctors follow..
OriginalGeek
(12,132 posts)for whatever good that will do. I know I have a LOT of friends from my old fundie christian high school who will be annoyed by it. Although, that's not the reason I shared it - I share it because it needs to be a wildfire burning up the ignorance across this country.
seabeyond
(110,159 posts)good for this man.
Bandit
(21,475 posts)So of course they won't have much to say about this...
Humanist_Activist
(7,670 posts)especially if they plan on a little "civil disobedience" themselves, against these laws. Don't want to be under increased scrutiny by putting yourself on record against these laws, at least not yet.
seabeyond
(110,159 posts)by personal beliefs.
i believe way more doctors put their responsibility above political affiliation. and being a republican has nothing to do with religion for many in the higher income bracket.
SamG
(535 posts)I would also suggest people read some of the replies in the original link.
CrispyQ
(36,527 posts)& encourage other doctors to do the same.
66 dmhlt
(1,941 posts)The Medical Societies of both Virginia and Pennsylvania have taken stands against the ultrasound bills in their states.
Here's Pennsylvania's letter:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/82313595/Pennsylvania-Medical-Society-letter-on-PA-Mandatory-Ultrasound-Bill
if I could cut and paste it, I would. It is worth a read.
Science Trumps All
(8 posts)If ever there were a time when our physicians needed to stand up for best medical practices and get patient care out of the damned political arena, this is it!!
DirkGently
(12,151 posts)They're being required to lie to and assault patients. Not what most of the bright, capable people who go to med school have in mind, I'm sure.
gratuitous
(82,849 posts)Our Republican elected officials are far more knowledgeable about what best medical practices are, and if licensed physicians are just too goddam squeamish to do their jobs, then our faultless elected officials will mandate it by law!
Gee, when it's put that way, it sort of sounds . . . just wrong, doesn't it? I'm sure our conservative friends will be along any second now on the teevee to explain it all for us.