Doctor Tells Fellow Physicians: No Coercive Ultrasounds – It’s Rape [View all]

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.care2.com/causes/doctor-tells-fellow-physicians-no-coercive-ultrasounds-its-rape.html

by Joel Boyce
March 21, 2012
11:00 am



A physician has (anonymously) spoken out about recent state bills which would require women to submit to invasive transvaginal ultrasounds before being allowed to terminate a pregnancy. Similar bills have been proposed in Pennsylvania, Idaho and Virginia. The Idaho bill has passed the senate vote, although five Republican and seven Democrat senators opposed it, and is expected to pass at the House committee vote as well.

The unnamed physician wrote a sort of manifesto on medical ethics, calling on her or his fellow medical doctors to recall their medical oaths, and refuse to be political tools. It was published on science fiction author John Scalzi’s popular blog, Whatever, who vouches for the qualifications of the writer without revealing identifying information. The opening paragraphs take a similar position to that previously adopted by Doonesbury writer, Gary Trudeau:

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.

And

After all, it’s 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.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/doctor-tells-fellow-physicians-no-coercive-ultrasounds-its-rape.html#ixzz1ptdtlKDx


FULL story at link.