Comments on All Ears: Sexual Abuse by Medical Professionals

hi i really need these types of articles .. i am s...

2009-06-21T12:51:12.463-04:00

hi i really need these types of articles .. i am student and i am searching these types of article on women (child)sexual abuse ..
and i must tell you its really helpful for me ..
I am obsessive and protective of this aspect of her upbringing, because I was never taught that I belonged anywhere, that anything I did really mattered, and here I remain, somewhat adrift, up some kind of creek with no paddle
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When the shoe is on the other foot, and the manipu...

2009-06-18T19:56:24.919-04:00

When the shoe is on the other foot, and the manipulating female patient is coming on to the male doctor, the result can go against the sexual assaulter. Blackmail, extortion and sexual assault against a male physician by a female patient that refuses to take responsibility for her actions can force the assaulter into jail time when the doctor has severed ties by obtaining a restraining order. Protect the good people!!!!

Sadly female doctors can also be abusive and insen...

2009-03-10T23:11:00.000-04:00

Sadly female doctors can also be abusive and insensitive. Some of the most caring and sensitive doctors I've had have been men, and some of the most careless and insensitive have been women. For those who've been abused in the past and who would rather face death than more abuse, there are caring doctors out there, and many of them are men. The caring people in the profession will listen to your complaints. Try to find a doctor who will talk to you first about your history, before examining you. You will know when you have a caring person, because this person will listen to you and treat you like a human being, and understand your sensitivities and fears. It takes courage to speak up, but it will help you heal. You deserve medical care, not death.

To the last anonymous commenter, you have a right ...

2009-02-27T22:46:00.000-05:00

To the last anonymous commenter, you have a right to ask for exactly what you described, an all female team, starting with your doctor and going from there. You have a right to explain just the basics without going in to detail. Please contact your local victim services to find out if anyone can help you through this and/or be your advocate. Above all, you have a right to proper medical care.

We also invite you to talk with others on our Sexual Abuse: Support Group board.

You are not alone.

During my formative years I was abused by medical ...

2009-02-27T22:32:00.000-05:00

During my formative years I was abused by medical staff on more than one occasion. As an adult in my early 30s I refuse all medical care. I am aware that I am now dying. Though, if I was assured an all female medical team, I would seek treatment. But I know this is not feasible. I am resolved. I will die with dignity and not let them abuse me again.

I was sexually assaulted in a hospital in a very c...

2009-02-19T09:28:00.000-05:00

I was sexually assaulted in a hospital in a very cruel, degrading, public way at the most emotionally and physically vulnerable time of my life--giving birth to my first child after two miscarriages.

Twenty years later when becoming ill and needing hospitalization I found out I had issues and started doing research including the medical community and how it works, post traumatic stress disorder, humiliation studies, privacy and torte law and yes...torture.

Elder care abuse, abuse of the disabled is written about and advocated. The problem is that abuse is rampant throughout the medical field, prison systems and police. It is epidemic.

What happens to the victims? Where's the responsibility to care for someone? Wher is "to do no harm by forcing opposite gender care and enforcing an employees right to work over patient privacy.

If you are sexually assaulted in a hospital and then need medical care
you are asked to go back to the "scene", put on the same thing you wore when this happened to you, by the same people (strangers) who assaulted you in the first place and then asked to expose your body to members of the opposite sex.

Seem unreasonable...it is. Victims need special handling and the abuse of power issues need to be handled. Victims are retraumatized and deserve to feel safe when hospitalized. For some, same gender care is the answer and others won't return for medical care.

Please...accountability, responsibility, screenings for employees with tough consequences and validation for victims. This is what's needed.

There has to be someone out there who cares and is willing to advocate.

Thank you.

I worked at the Medical Board for several years as...

2009-01-22T07:11:00.000-05:00

I worked at the Medical Board for several years as a young lawyer and heard it all in it's ugly glory...
Sadly, male doctors have a long history of disrespect, taking advantage of and sexually assaulting female patients.
It might be requiring more exposure than necessary, an unnecessary exam, pressuring and intimidating a woman into a pap smear or breast exam when she presents with a sprained ankle or blatant sexual assault & rape.
Sadly, the Medical Board has been heavily criticized over the years - moving far too slowly or not at all - allowing these "Doctors" to continue "practicing"....
It's actually very difficult for many women to stand up for themselves in the doctor/patient setting, particularly male doctor and female patient - the power dynamic means the man is an authority figure. I often heard young women say, "I thought I had to do it"...
Remember...NEVER see a male doctor unless you feel strong enough to refuse any exam or test that makes you uncomfortable - a doctor requires your informed consent to carry out any and all exams/tests - if the Dr becomes threatening, angry or pressures you, LEAVE....
Women who "submit" to exams often experience trauma and anxiety for the rest of their lives and some even develop post traumatic stress disorder.
A Dr who forces you to submit to an intimate exam is committing an assault - report the matter immediately.
It is only by notifying the Medical Board or the Police that we have some hope of getting rid of these people - they cause so much damage.
For every one complaint, there are many more that never get to the Board/Police - the women just internalize their distress - the violation and many avoid doctors in the future altogether...they have lost trust.
IMO women are often asked to submit to unnecessary intimate exams - read up, find out what is really necessary, don't just submit...
Even if the Dr says it's necessary, the final decision rests with you...
Refuse any exam that you don't wish to have (or have with that Dr)...
A professional Dr will recommend, advise and give you information - that's all...

I have to object to something that you said. Squee...

2009-01-15T02:06:00.000-05:00

I have to object to something that you said. Squeezing a woman's nipples is a sexual act and should never be done as part of a medical examination. If it is neccessary, the woman should be asked to squeeze the nipples herself.

When I was 14 I went to a chiropracter for a sport...

2008-10-07T15:11:00.000-04:00

When I was 14 I went to a chiropracter for a sports physical for school to join the debate team. I had been to a physical before with another Dr and had no problems he was awesome and the physical was very basic. This sports physical was not, the DR made me put on a robe he felt my breasts and he also cupped my groin over the gown. he held his hand there for a few minutes while I stood petrified. I have tried to find reasons why he would do this but have found none and cannot forget it. It has been 8 years and I constantly worry that he is taking advantage of another shy scaredlittle girl. What should I do?

My girlfriend is intimately involved with a chirop...

2008-03-05T12:57:00.000-05:00

My girlfriend is intimately involved with a chiropractor. It is the second time that she got intimately involved with a chiropractor. I do believe that some Dr. using their skills and knowledge gained from their patience to seduce them. Is physical therapy becoming an art form of dating? Is it proper for a physician to get intimately involved with its patience?
R

I had a surgery and woke up from anesthesia and he...

2007-05-04T01:46:00.000-04:00

I had a surgery and woke up from anesthesia and hear a nurse talking about my "private parts" letting everyone get a look. THAT is the stuff that goes on behind closed doors. And yes it still affects me today. Total unprofessional sexual misconduct. IT HAPPENS DAILY!

I had seen a therapist twice a week for over a yea...

2006-09-22T03:30:00.000-04:00

I had seen a therapist twice a week for over a year. He never physically touched me, but what he did to me mentally was probably worse. The other people who commented about their abuse by their doctors moved on to other doctors. I need to continue therapy, but I couldn't trust someone again.

My OB/Gyn, who recently retired, once began examin...

2006-09-10T20:32:00.000-04:00

My OB/Gyn, who recently retired, once began examining me before the nurse got in the room. I've known him for nearly 30 years and he has never been inappropriate -nor was he that time.

His nurse was clearly upset that he would put himself at risk, even with a long-term patient. She was right to be concerned for him - not because I would have accused him of impropriety, but because someone else might have.

He told me that he once had to testify as an expert witness in a case where a camera WAS in the room. An obstetrician was accused of inappropriate touching following the birth of a baby. The family had videotaped the whole thing. He felt that the family had misconstrued what they saw on the video -- which he said was a textbook pospartum exam. False accusations definitely occur. Defending against them is seldom so simple.

ANYTIME that you feel uncomfortable when someone i...

2006-09-10T09:41:00.000-04:00

ANYTIME that you feel uncomfortable when someone is treating or examining you, you can ask for a nurse to be present...or, find another provider that honor that request. While it is not uncommon for a chiropractor to examine or treat someone without an attendent and this be perfectly innocent, the important issue here is that YOU felt uncomfortable. You trusted your own instincts -- instincts that are there to protect you.

I went to a chiropractor after an injury to my bac...

2006-09-09T13:00:00.000-04:00

I went to a chiropractor after an injury to my back and my first visit there was a secretary, a nurse, and the doctor in the office. The nurse was in the exam room with the doctor. The second time I went the secretary and doctor was there. The doctor treated me, but I felt uncomfortable. The third time only the doctor was in the office and me. I thought it was weird when I got there. I asked him if the secretary or nurse was there and he said, "No." I refused to let him treat me and I left. When I got home I called my Aunt who is a nurse and told her what happened. She suggested I not go back because of that and I called him and told him I would not be returning to his office and that I wanted my medical records. He argued with me and after two months of fighting to get my records I went to a new chiropractor who always had a nurse in the room with him.