As a woman or a person with a vagina, it can already feel quite traumatizing to visit the gynecologist, especially when it’s a male doctor who’s going to be examining you. There’s a certain level of discomfort and apprehension that can come along with having to show and trust your most intimate parts to your physician. When that trust is broken, it can leave a lifelong mark. Dozens of women in Washington have now accused a male OB-GYN of sexual abuse and inappropriate conduct during medical exams.
One woman decided to share her story about the trauma she went through during a pelvic exam and how the doctor removed her fallopian tubes without her consent.
Several women filed a lawsuit against a Washington OB-GYN, Dr. Mark Mulholland, for sexual abuse.
According to People, dozens of women in Washington have accused an OB-GYN, Dr. Mark Mulholland, of sexual abuse and inappropriate conduct during medical exams and procedures. Mulholland was employed by Providence St. Joseph Health and Kadlec Regional Medical Center, per MyNorthwest News.
As of March 2026, lawyers Elizabeth Hanley of Schroeter Goldmark and Bender and Tamara Holder of Tamara Holder Law are representing approximately 170 former patients of Providence-Kadlec and Mulholland, per MyNorthwest News.
MyNorthwest News reported that among the abuse and misconduct discussed in the lawsuit, Mulholland allegedly forced a patient to undergo a C-section and he “invasively” touched a patient. Plantiffs also alleged that he made “overtly sexual comments” and discussed their sex lives in detail.
One former patient opened up to People to discuss how Mulholland allegedly performed a pelvic exam “in a sexual manner” and separately, removed her fallopian tubes without informing her or obtaining consent.
How unbelievably traumatic.
One patient is speaking out publicly for the first time about her abusive experience with the physician.
The patient, who asked to be identified by her initials, J.P., was 55 years old when she met with Dr. Mulholland in a small city in southeastern Washington in 2014, according to People. She was referred to Mulholland by her primary care physician because of an ovarian cyst she needed to have removed.
During her pelvic exam, J.P. alleges, Mulholland called her a “tiny little one” and, according to a complaint she filed against him, the doctor allegedly “stroked he inside of her vagina, moving his fingers inside and out in a sexual manner,” People reported.
J.P. shared with People that she “felt violated.” Her complaint alleges that she turned to the female assistant for help in that moment, but the woman “was facing the wall and ignored her.”
According to the former patient, the accused doctor removed her fallopian tubes without her consent.
@adhd_pirate This obgyn should have been stopped immediately! 3/27/26 FOLLOW FOR MORE NEWS AND CURRENT #obgyn ♬ original sound – Moreno Neurospicy News
J.P. told People that Mulholland told her that she needed to have her cyst removed surgically and recommended a laparoscopic bilateral oophorectomy, a minimally invasive procedure to remove both ovaries. Even though she was frightened and alarmed, J.P. moved forward because she “would be in a room with a lot of other people” for the procedure.
More than a decade later, J.P. learned that Mulholland was under investigation by Washington’s medical commission for allegedly sexually abusing patients. She obtained her medical records and discovered that the doctor also removed her fallopian tubes during her previous procedure, People reported.
Mulholland has not been charged with a crime, but in April 2025, the Washington Medical Commission filed administrative charges against him, accusing him of unprofessional conduct and abuse of several former patients, People reported. In September 2025, the commission placed restrictions on Mulholland’s license that prevent him from seeing female patients. A hearing on his case is scheduled for January 2027.
We cannot imagine the utter turmoil and trauma that these patients have gone through. Our hearts and strength go out to them.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, the National Sexual Assault Hotline provides confidential 24/7 support. Call 800-656-HOPE (4673) or chat online at RAINN.
