Imagine this scenario: You're giving birth … only after two pushes, a doctor says he's going to perform an episiotomy. You say "why?" and get no explanation. You say "don't cut me" and he does anyway. This, in a nutshell, is what happened to "Kelly" (name changed), who is part of a growing movement where moms are speaking up about "obstetric violence," a new term describing abuse by doctors while giving birth.
Kelly, for one, has filed a lawsuit against her doctor for her unwanted episiotomy (and is seeking donations to help her cover the costs). If you're curious what exactly happened to her in the delivery room, it's all caught on video, taken by her sister below.
Warning: This video is graphic and hard to watch, definitely not for the faint of heart. But it's worth viewing if you want to see and hear how this doctor treated her.
Embedded content: https://www.youtube.com/embed/lCfXxtoAN-I?rel=0
I, for one, believe that we should all haveĀ informed consent before a doctor does anything to our bodies — particularly to cut us open in a procedure like a C-section or episiotomy!Ā
And I can also see why moms are in a tough position here. A delivery room is such a hectic environment, there may not be time to discuss the pros and cons of procedures at length. And doctors have so much power and authority, I could see how they might feel it's their right to just go ahead, and get impatient with moms who don't immediately say "yes" to everything they think they should do.
More from The Stir: Mom Sues Doctor for Giving Her a C-Section
As a result of this power imbalance, I could see how it would be hard for mom to pinpoint when they're mistreated and fight back — either during her birth or afterwards with a lawsuit.
That said, I also believe that moms should listen to their guts, and not immediately discount their feelings that a doctor is being abusive or disrespectful. And an organization Improving Birth is giving moms like Kelly a place to tell their stories and get support as part of their #breakthesilence campaign to end obstetric violence.
I'm glad that moms like Kelly and many others have come forward and give credence to the idea that abuse can happen in the delivery room — and should stop!
Did you feel mistreated by doctors during your delivery?
ImageĀ Ā© iStock.com/Reynardt
