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Wait, you did WHAT?!
Posted by Marianne
February 28, 2010
Categories:  Discussion, What's Crackin'
13
comments

(Photo from NMN)

Guess who’s back?!

I know you have missed me, but please refrain from any overly dramatic reactions so the others don’t feel too bad about themselves. Thank you kindly. Now on to less amazingly awesome topics…

Did you know that in Canada you can go to the hospital for, say, a surgery… and end up getting a pelvic exam, too? While you’re still unconscious… without your permission. I kid you not, folks. You could be going for a routine tonsillectomy, and end up having samples taken out of a completely different, erm, end. Yes, lets stick with “end”.

“Medical students routinely practice doing internal pelvic examinations while surgery patients are unconscious, and without getting specific consent, at least in Canada.

Guidelines in the United States and Britain say specific consent is required but, by contrast, Canadian guidelines state that pelvic examination by trainees is “implicit.”

SAY WHAT?!

Here are some quotes from people I forced a reaction out of at gunpoint:

“Slap consent on it, problem solved. In all the papers that you sign, they just give you one more paragraph to sign off on that says medical students may give you one. Now, you either accept or decline.”

- Crystal Ivey, 30. United States.

“That’s messed up. No one should be able to examine anything on you without your consent; unless its a life or death situation”.

-Vanessa Van Dyke, 24. Canada

“That’s what free healthcare will get you. A free full body physical as well”.

- Bitter Binks, 18. In The Matrix… where they don’t have free health care.

Now, ladies, what do you think about that? Don’t forget to check out the full article at the source!

Sources:
Time to end pelvic exams done without consent – The Globe and Mail

My First Pelvic Exam

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Binks

February 28, 2010

This took FORVEVER AND A DAY TO POST LADIES! Appreciate the mari-ness. ;)

and I am not bitter r_r ur lucky I support anti-censorship. :P


Marianne

February 28, 2010

Of course the first comment would be mainly off topic. Way to set a good example. :P


tracey1232

February 28, 2010

WHAT! I personally wouldn’t agree with that! Consent should definately be put in place like many other places! Enough said! :D


Ghost

February 28, 2010

Almost every year without fail, around November, I get the FLU. I know what I have, I know what I need. It still costs me $100.00+ for a 5-10 minute office visit to have a doctor tell me something I already know and write me a scrip for the antibiotics I always take.

Doctor: “Hello, what seems to be the problem?”
Me: (through a solid mass of mucus) “I have the Flu.”
Doctor: “Say Ahh.” “Hmm.. you appear to have the Flu. Take this
prescription and call me in a week.”

At this point he may as well have given me a colon exam, heck it probably would have hurt less.

So, if the cost of free medical care is additional free medical care, even at the cost of some dignity, I don’t see the bad. Although I would prefer being conscious to avoid questions of misconduct.


Melanie

February 28, 2010

Wow. That’s just highly disturbing. I’ve never heard such a thing in France but I guess that if it’s happened in Canada then it’s happened elsewhere as well. Dear God Oo”


Laurenelle

February 28, 2010

I honestly find that really creepy because that makes it quite easy for a less-than-honorable physician to run into a lot of issues with sexual misconduct.


samantha0405

February 28, 2010

We have free healthcare in England, and I already have major trust issues with them. It wouldn’t surprise me to discover that this happens over here too. I agree they should at least consider that people might have an issue with it and ask for consent. If I ever have enough money to do so, I would sign up for private healthcare right away!


Alyssa

February 28, 2010

That is completely unethical, it sceeves me out and makes me soo angry! Why would they think they have the right to do that, to use an unconscious person as a show and tell. The article didn’t say whether or not these patients were informed that they were “observed,” but I highly doubt the doctors tell them. That is such a violation of power! Don’t doctors have some sort of code of conduct that forbids things like this, why is this still going on?


Kendra

February 28, 2010

This blows my mind! It seems like a complete violation! NO ONE should be able to do anything to your body without consent! I CANT BELIEVE this occurs!

*Mari so happy you are back writing for GBD!*


G

February 28, 2010

That is so wrong on soooo many levels. If I ever need surgery, I’m going to make threats on anyone’s life who even goes near down there!


Jen.

March 1, 2010

I think this is a violation. The article says a reason for this practice is that “it provides a unique opportunity for students to practice the delicate, invasive examination without causing the woman pain or embarrassment.”
Well, what about the pain and embarrassment of waking up to discover you’d been examined without your consent?
I have a right to consent to anyone touching my body, and I would be horrified if I learned I had been violated this way. It is unethical for students to perform these exams without the patient’s knowledge.
I had (awake) surgery to remove precancerous cells from my cervix, and they asked me if the med students could observe, participate in and learn from the procedure, and I consented. I felt it was done in a respectful way, and I believe that we need doctors to understand everything they can about a woman’s body, so I had no problem with it. HOWEVER, I would be furious if I found out it had happened without my knowledge or consent.


Susana/Susy

March 1, 2010

What?!!! Omg that is crazy to think that they would do that without consent I really hope they don’t do this in the U.S. Because I had surgery in ‘08 for Gallbladder disease I would hate to think they would be doing stuff without my consent while I’m sleeping lol. I don’t know I just think this is wrong hope it changes.


Stephanie

March 3, 2010

that’s so shocking that something like that is done on a regular basis without consent! it’s such a violation of your privacy