Quote:
(NEWSER) – The mothers of the world are mad, and they're not going to take it anymore. A growing movement against "birth rape" is placing institutions on notice that women in labor oppose any vaginal intrusion by "fingers, hands, suction cups, forceps, needles and scissors" without consent, notes the Sydney Morning Herald. Uncaring, sometimes brutal physical examinations often traumatize vulnerable laboring women, notes birthtalk.com, which defines "birth rape" as anything that "crosses decent boundaries."
Critics have called the assumption that doctors can examine women in labor whenever and how ever they please "institutional violence against women." One blogger complained: "The tools of birth rape are wielded with as much force and as little consent as if a stranger grabbed a passer-by off the street and tied her up before having his way with her."
Women Battle 'Birth Rape' - Uncaring, brutal exams can traumatize laboring moms
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A similar, extended article can be found here:
Birth Trauma Can Cause Women to Develope PPD & PTSD - Associated Content - associatedcontent.com
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I stumbled across this on Fark today. If a quick search hadn't turned similar articles from unaffiliated sources, I would have said this is satire. As a dude preparing to enter medical school, I have no idea where to begin addressing (in a civil way) the comparison of standardized medical procedures to RAPE. Examining a woman while she is in labor is "institutionalized violence against women"?! Are you kidding me?!
I have to study for a Chem exam and will lay out my thoughts on this later. In the meantime, what are your thoughts? Is there any validity to this or is it absolute nonsense? Has a moral boundary been crossed by comparing the birthing process to RAPE?