question for women: modesty and doctors

[ModestWoman]

You’d think that if a man was looking and touching boobs all day for breast exams, he’d get used to it. Meaning it would be nothing new.

That is not true. Why do many men continue to look at pornography? Based on your reasoning, if a man got tired of looking at breasts all day, why cannot men who look at pornography not get tired? Why is it hard for them to stop looking at pornography? Doctors are not morally above us. You should look at a list of some doctors that have been accused of sexual misconduct by doctors at sexualmisconductbydoctors.com/misconductcasesbydoctors.aspx. It was hard for me to believe that a male doctor could get aroused by doing a colonoscopy. I personally think colonoscopy is gross. Look at cases of two doctors who did colonoscopies on women at sexualmisconductbydoctors.com/Specialty.aspx?SpecID=3. The one in Texas is especially horrible. It is my understanding that this doctor no longer has license to practice medicine.

 

[ModestWoman]

I believe it is the law that a doctor cannot examine a female patient unless a nurse is in the room with them. Might be same with men patients too. Don’t know.

That is not always true. Some male doctors have done intimate examinations on female patients by themselves. Even with a nurse, it doesn’t make it right. It doesn’t make the male gynecologist less likely to have lustful thoughts about women. Many male doctors would never sexually assault their patients, but they do have lustful thoughts.

Having a nurse or an assistant present in the room with the doctor doesn’t guarantee that nothing inappropriate would happen to you. Remember that the nurse or assistant is present to “protect” the doctor and will often be on the doctor’s side. There have been cases where female patients felt the male doctor went too far, but the nurse or assistant felt he was simply doing thorough examinations. It is certainly not worth the risk to let a male doctor do intimate female procedures or examinations.

 

[ModestWoman]

I’m quite troubled that your mom insists you see a male doctor when you clearly don’t want to and are not comfortable in doing so. Just the fact you commented on the possibilty of feeling violated leads me to believe that if you have a breast and/or pelvic exam by a male doctor when you obviously don’t want to, it’s could be quite traumatic and cause some serious emotional repercussions.

I don’t know where you live, but in my city, female OB/GYN’s outnumber the men, so it’s not difficult to find good female doctors. I have seen both and while I personally feel more comfortable with a female by choice, if I had an emergency, I would want the best doctor, regardless of the gender. From what you’ve posted and the fact you are not in the hospital having surgery tells me that your need to see the doc is not of an emergent nature.

I would talk with your mom about your fears and concerns and let her know how you feel. I didn’t catch your age, but even if you are a minor, you mom should put your well-being (and that includes emotional) above her need to choose your doctor based on what she’s comfortable with. I cannot imagine forcing my teen daughter to get an exam of that nature by a male doctor if she was this anxious about it. I pray you can explain your feelings to your mom and she will be understanding and not force you to do something you are quite uncomfortable with.

One of my friends went to a male gynecologist when she was about 14 or 15. She is still very traumatized by the experience even though she is 39 today. Many teenage and young girls are very uncomfortable with seeing a male doctor for intimate procedures. Many mothers mean well, but they don’t realize how much it could traumatize their daughter even for years. Look at patientmodesty.org/teenagers.aspx about some tips for parents regarding modesty of their teenage or young adult children.

Thank you for your sensitivity!

 

[EasterJoy]

That is not true. Why do many men continue to look at pornography? Based on your reasoning, if a man got tired of looking at breasts all day, why cannot men who look at pornography not get tired? Why is it hard for them to stop looking at pornography? Doctors are not morally above us. You should look at a list of some doctors that have been accused of sexual misconduct by doctors at sexualmisconductbydoctors.com/misconductcasesbydoctors.aspx. It was hard for me to believe that a male doctor could get aroused by doing a colonoscopy. I personally think colonoscopy is gross. Look at cases of two doctors who did colonoscopies on women at sexualmisconductbydoctors.com/Specialty.aspx?SpecID=3. The one in Texas is especially horrible. It is my understanding that this doctor no longer has license to practice medicine.

Patients do not have to have any excuse to look for a doctor they are comfortable with. If they want a doctor with big ears instead of one with small ears, they don’t have to apologize to anyone about that. Certainly there are many women who want a female gynecologist. (Not that you have any guarantee that she’s heterosexual, if you are concerned about being a source of titillation.)

Just as a priest listens to our sins, which could be titillating or a near occasion of sin in some other way, in order to offer the positive good of absolution, so can physicians be chosen from among men as well as women of integrity to treat the medical needs particular to women, without giving moral offense. As it is part of the medical code of ethics that physicians never use medical examinations as a way to indulge their own private sexual fantasies, patients can choose male physicians without concern that it poses a particular ethical dilemma.

This is why the Church allows Catholic men to be gynecologists and allows Catholic women to allow themselves to be seen by male gynecologists: that is, because this professional conduct is reasonably attainable by a man of integrity with a vocation to practice medicine. After all, male physicians for women have been commonplace in Christendom for a very long time.

 

[ModestWoman]

Thank you for all the responses…

alright so I went to see a doctor, and now I’m in a lot of emotional pain.

I really felt like I would be more comfortable with a female doctor, but I went to see a walk in doctor for another issue, and my mom told me to bring it up then. She was there with me. The doctor was a man… I asked him about my problem, and he said he could take a look at it and tell me if there’s anything wrong. He did, and told me it’s not an illness.

But here’s what’s been happening to me since then… I feel completely violated, even though he wasn’t creepy at all and treated the matter very professionally. I didn’t get the sense that he was looking at me lustfully or anything, but in the way a doctor should.

But… well one of the things I felt so good about before, is that I’m trying to live a pure life and that I’m saving myself for my future husband. Even though I don’t have a perfect past at all, I felt that so happy that I’m living chastely now. But after the doctor’s appointment, I feel like I’ve lost a part of myself… I feel like i’ve lost my innocence in a way. He saw a part of me that I don’t want to show to anyone except my husband… and he touched me too, and he wasn’t wearing gloves. I also saw a wedding ring on his finger and now I feel so guilty and like I committed adultery.

I’ve decided that even though society says it’s alright for a woman to have a male GYN, I don’t know if it’s alright with God… even though he’s a doctor, he’s still a man… how do I know that an impure thought didn’t go through his mind? and even though the context wasn’t at all sexual, I still feel like no man should see that part of me if I’m not married to him,. If it was a female doctor, I wouldn’t worry.

I’m going through so much emotional turmoil right now… I feel like I’ve sinned, I no longer feel pure like I did before, it’s like I’ve lost something very special.

I mentioned this to someone and it was met with a lot of misunderstanding… and I think that many of you would disagree with me, probably for very valid reasons. But I really feel this strongly. I want to go to Confession for this. But I feel that even after Confession, I’d still feel the same way. I can’t take back what happened… I just feel SUCH a sense of loss. And it’s terrible because if this is a sin, then the doctor and my mom sinned too, because of me.

How can I ever get over this? by the way I’m never seeing a male doctor for anything like this again. I don’t care if they are more common or even if they are better. There are certain parts of us that only a spouse should see.

I am so sorry to hear about the pain you went through. I can completely understand how you feel. I certainly can understand why you feel violated. One of my friends went to a male gynecologist when she was 14 or 15 for a gynecological examination and she is still traumatized by that experience today. She is 39 so it has been about 25 years.

You and I share very similar convictions.

Let me tell you about myself. I am a Christian woman in my early 30s who is committed to staying pure until marriage. I made a commitment as a teenager to True Love Waits. At the same time, I thought about how I was not going to let any men including doctors see and access certain parts of my body that should only be reserved for my future husband. I also believe that nudity before the opposite sex should be reserved for spouse only. I think it is very special for a husband to be the only man who can see his wife naked and a wife to be the only woman to see her husband naked. I don’t want my future husband to ever have any intimate male medical procedures with other women present.

It is very special for virgins to marry each other. It’s far more special if they have never let anyone of the opposite sex see certain parts of their body after puberty.

I am not against doctors or medical treatments at all. I simply believe that intimate male procedures should be only done by male doctors/nurses/assistants and intimate female procedures should only be done by female doctors/nurses/assistants. I feel like we have been brainwashed by the medical industry. Medical professionals are not above us morally. The name of medicine doesn’t make it right for a man to examine private parts of women who he is not married to.

I feel like what happens in the medical industry in regard to patient modesty is a HUGE cultural blind spot. Christians are taught to not question most things medical professionals do when many of the things they do go against what God intended.

 

[ModestWoman]

Dear JesusIsMercy,

Please look at how Leslie Ludy who wrote “When God Writes Your Love Story” with her husband, Eric (setapartgirl.com/my-books.html) responded to my concern about male gynecologists in 2004 below.

**Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2004 10:51 pm Post subject: Personal Concern

---

Leslie,

I really enjoyed reading Authentic Beauty, When God Writes Your Love Story, and When Dreams Come True. I was blessed by these books.

I have read some books that dealt with the issue of purity. There is one concern that I have that is not being addressed. I have a very strong belief that it is wrong for women to go to male gynecologists. I also believe that it is wrong for female physicians or nurses to examine males below the waist to the upper leg. I have a hard time believing that many Christians see nothing wrong with this. I believe that the husband of a woman should be the only man who can touch, examine, and see her naked body. The wife of the man should be the only woman who can touch, examine, and see his naked body. I really believe that it is a form of immorality for male gynecologists to examine women who are not their wives. I believe that seeing a person of the opposite sex naked should be uniquely reserved for the spouse. Genesis 2:25 says, “The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.” I believe that this verse shows how special it is for a man and his wife to see each other naked and not be ashamed. I think that if male doctors want to work with babies that they should become pediatricians instead. I know that it is a privilege for pediatricians to work with babies.

I am not sure how you feel about this. Do you know of a group of Christians who believe the same way that I do?

Thank you for your time!

Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2004 12:08 pm Post subject: cultural blind spot

---

I understand your concern in this area – at least from a personal perspective, I would not feel comfortable having a male OB/GYN or having Eric be examined by a female doctor in that way. Whether it is Biblically wrong or not is something that I haven’t studied, but I do agree that the basic concept seems to be a violation of what God intended.

I think that in general, people tend to accept almost anything that the medical industry does because our culture sees doctors as the definitive “experts” on the human body. Often Christians fall into this trap; they submit to a doctor’s methods without questioning, but often doctor’s methods go against God’s nature. I think it is a blind spot in our culture today. I don’t know of any particular group of Christians that believe as you do in this area, although I have occasionally heard other Christians voice similar concerns. Since you feel passionately about this, I’d encourage you to begin praying about it – pray that God would open Christian’s eyes to this blind spot. Your faithful prayers and example may well become a catalyst for change in this area. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Leslie**

I don’t blame for you for never seeing a male gynecologist again. I support you completely. I would not see a male doctor for intimate things at all. I want my future husband to be the only man in the world who can touch and access certain parts of my body. I would not mind having a male doctor for ear infection, knee problem (as long as I kept my shorts on), strep throat, etc. Even if I could be guaranteed that a male gynecologist would not lust after me, I would still not go to him at all.

I encourage you to not blame yourself or your mom. I know that your mom was simply concerned about your health. I started questioning my mom when I was about 8 years old. I was very shocked at what a male gynecologist did. I found it very strange because I was taught that I should not be naked in front of my dad anymore after a certain age. It made no sense about how it could be okay for a male doctor to see women naked. My mom would not listen to me for years. But after I grew up into an adult, she started listening to me. She has not gone to a male gynecologist in about 11-12 years now. She said that I opened her eyes to things. She doesn’t think that a male doctor can stay pure in thoughts examining woman’s private parts. She even told me that she didn’t think my dad could be a male gynecologist and be pure in thoughts at all.Your mom has obviously fallen to the cultural blind spot.

You should check out Medical Patient Modesty’s web site at patientmodesty.org. I know you would find a lot of helpful information there. If you ever have a baby in the future, make sure you check out patientmodesty.org/obgynpatients.aspx. It is very important that you choose an all female ob/gyn practice that doesn’t rotate with other practices that have male doctors if you want to be guaranteed a female ob/gyn for the birth of your baby.

You may hear this argument: **What if your female gynecologist is a lesbian? **

You can easily discern if a female gynecologist is a lesbian by doing some personal research on her. I have been able to figure out before. Try to look at personal biographies of female gynecologists on their OB/GYN web sites. It is very easy for me to discern if a lady is a lesbian. Based on research, it is very rare for a female gynecologist to be a lesbian.

 

[ModestWoman]

But I think a point some may be missing on here is that she feels violated, because the choice was made for her to have a male doctor (which she clearly didn’t want) to exam her for a non-emergent situation. We can all agree that she didn’t sin, nor did she lead the doctor into sinning, but she feels violated because her mom insisted on this exam that was done against her wishes. A right to choose who exams her in a non-life threatening situation was taken away from her and it sounds like her mom could care less. That brings me to tears that a mom didn’t respect her daughter’s sense of modesty, privacy, and dignity. This single incident has caused the OP a great deal of emotional grief.

Thank you again for being sensitive to the OP’s feelings!

 

[spunjalebi]

But I think a point some may be missing on here is that she feels violated, because the choice was made for her to have a male doctor (which she clearly didn’t want) to exam her for a non-emergent situation. We can all agree that she didn’t sin, nor did she lead the doctor into sinning, but she feels violated because her mom insisted on this exam that was done against her wishes. A right to choose who exams her in a non-life threatening situation was taken away from her and it sounds like her mom could care less. That brings me to tears that a mom didn’t respect her daughter’s sense of modesty, privacy, and dignity. This single incident has caused the OP a great deal of emotional grief.

This is not the first time I have heard of such an incident. I remember in high school hearing from friends that their ob/gyn was a male and usually an older person. The stories were horrific just to hear and traumatizing and not a single one of their mothers sounded like they were attuned to their daughters’ feelings. In fact, some of their mothers told them that’s just the way it was

And because of those stories, I never went to the gynecologist, because I was deathly afraid of the same thing happening to me. I am 26 and went to the ob/gyn for the first time this year!

 

[ToeInTheWater]

Just as a priest listens to our sins, which could be titillating or a near occasion of sin in some other way, in order to offer the positive good of absolution, so can physicians be chosen from among men as well as women of integrity to treat the medical needs particular to women, without giving moral offense. As it is part of the medical code of ethics that physicians never use medical examinations as a way to indulge their own private sexual fantasies, patients can choose male physicians without concern that it poses a particular ethical dilemma.

This is why the Church allows Catholic men to be gynecologists and allows Catholic women to allow themselves to be seen by male gynecologists: that is, because this professional conduct is reasonably attainable by a man of integrity with a vocation to practice medicine. After all, male physicians for women have been commonplace in Christendom for a very long time.

EasterJoy, I agree 100%, and I’m glad you posted the actual Church teachings. I have no problem with people feeling that they personally would feel too uncomfortable seeing a physician of the opposite sex, though I would hope that they would at least make an exception in a true medical emergency (which was certainly not the case for the OP). Since I know there are actually cultures where women would rather die than be seen by a male doctor. It seems that in the past, where there were no such things as female physicians, such women actually did die, and I hope most people would agree that this should not have happened.

As for bad experiences with OB-GYNs…it seems that in any topic dealing with that, you will wind up with just as many women who report horror stories about female providers than male providers. I even know women who say they would only go to a male GYN. All my exams have been with women, not out of choice, it just worked out that way. My first one was horrible and painful, and actually kept me away for a while. When I finally mustered up the courage to have another one, I was surprised at how smoothly the process went, and how it didn’t hurt at all. I know some well-meaning women tell girls that such exams are supposed to hurt, but this is a fallacy. I certainly would understand a woman switching providers because of a painful exam, or just general insensitivity on the part of the provider.

 

[Ailina]

I’m not sure if this is in the right place… but I wanted to ask other women here. I have to get a breast examination and I found out I should go see a gynecologist. Do you think it matters if the doctor is male or female? I don’t feel comfortable showing that part of me to a man who is not my husband, but I don’t know if this applies in this case because it’s for a medical reason. What do you think? Is this a moral issue? If I can only find a male doctor, would it be wrong to go to him? I don’t know what to think so I thought I’d ask! Thank you in advance.

Doctors are trained to look at body parts in a medical way, not a lustful way. There is nothing sexy about going for a medical procedure! If I had refused to see the top gynecologist in my city, who happens to be male, I would probably be battling deadly cancer by now. As it is, I had to go in and get a very unsexy, rather bloody procedure done, and believe me, it turned neither of us on! Many oncologists are male, so would you rather skip seeing a doctor who can help save your life? My sister’s oncologist (cancer doctor) was male, and he wasn’t touching her breasts to get his jollies.

It wasn’t so long ago that most if not all doctors were male. Luckily, there is a choice these days, so if you can find a female doctor, then go ahead, but don’t delay any important procedure because of a strong sense of modesty (which goes completely out the window when you are giving birth anyways!!!).

 

[ModestWoman]

Doctors are trained to look at body parts in a medical way, not a lustful way. There is nothing sexy about going for a medical procedure! If I had refused to see the top gynecologist in my city, who happens to be male, I would probably be battling deadly cancer by now. As it is, I had to go in and get a very unsexy, rather bloody procedure done, and believe me, it turned neither of us on! Many oncologists are male, so would you rather skip seeing a doctor who can help save your life? My sister’s oncologist (cancer doctor) was male, and he wasn’t touching her breasts to get his jollies.

It wasn’t so long ago that most if not all doctors were male. Luckily, there is a choice these days, so if you can find a female doctor, then go ahead, but don’t delay any important procedure because of a strong sense of modesty (which goes completely out the window when you are giving birth anyways!!!).

That is not true. Men are men. Doctors are not morally above other men. I’m sure that there are times that male doctors may not lust. I am sure that many of them are grossed out by some things such as meconium that may come out during birth. If I was guaranteed that a male doctor would not lust, I still would not go to him for intimate procedures at all. I believe that my future husband should be the only man to access and see certain parts of my body. I understand JesusisMercy’s convictions completely.

There are a lot of women who are extremely modest and it is totally untrue that they are willing to let go of their modesty. There are some great all female ob/gyn practices in the US that can guarantee a female ob/gyn. One couple had a wonderful experience with an all female ob/gyn practice recently and they were so glad that they had an all female team for the birth of their child. Many people falsely assume that laboring women don’t care about their modesty because they are in too much pain.

I am blessed that there are many female gynecologists about 30 minutes west of me. If I needed the best medical treatment, I would find the best female gynecologist even if she was 3 hours away. I feel it’s worth driving long distance for a very expert female gynecologist. I understand that some women don;t like to drive long distance. But I’m the kind of person who doesn’t mind driving a long distance.

I know that there are some rural areas of the US that don’t have many female gynecologists such as Wyoming.

 

[spunjalebi]

This is just my own observation about the direction of this thread.

Is it me, or is this becoming an anti-male doctor thread, simply because someone’s experience was negative? Shouldn’t we be focusing on the fact that we need to learn (those of us who do have daughters) about respecting a young woman’s privacy, modesty, feelings, and dignity in these matters? And if someone feels that going to an opposite sex doctor isn’t the best decision for them, that is their decision?

Instead I see this becoming a “male doctors will be tempted to lust after their female patients.” We might as well say “female doctors will be tempted to lust after their teenage male patients.” Or how about we go even further and say “any male professional in the medical field will lust after their female patients.”

Sounds rather ridiculous, doesn’t it?

What is even funnier is that you can’t always tell if a female gyn. is a lesbian. Someone’s sexual orientation should have nothing to do with their professional work.

 

[spunjalebi]

The name of medicine doesn’t make it right for a man to examine private parts of women who he is not married to.

Okay so here’s what is a rather interesting conundrum. If you are to believe that a male doctor should not perform an intimate examination on a female patient, then why have I in the past experienced so much resistance from Christians when it came to a woman wanting to pursue a medical career? For these very reasons? I can recall as a late teen, when I talked to other Christian women about possibly becoming a doctor, I was hit with “women should not work outside the home,” and “you can’t be a good Christian woman and work outside the home and be married, etc.”

We can go off about how it’s wrong for a man to examine private parts of a woman he’s not married to, but in reality this is the way it simply is, and has been, for women for almost centuries. Men in the past performed examinations on women to ensure virginity and I highly doubt they would have allowed a woman to do that. I’m just saying.

 

[PPeterson]

the first two male gyns I met were both turkeys.

was it tough for them to to deliver babies without gobbling alot and pecking at the floor?

 

[dixieagle]

This is just my own observation about the direction of this thread.

Is it me, or is this becoming an anti-male doctor thread, simply because someone’s experience was negative? Shouldn’t we be focusing on the fact that we need to learn (those of us who do have daughters) about respecting a young woman’s privacy, modesty, feelings, and dignity in these matters? And if someone feels that going to an opposite sex doctor isn’t the best decision for them, that is their decision?

Instead I see this becoming a “male doctors will be tempted to lust after their female patients.” We might as well say “female doctors will be tempted to lust after their teenage male patients.” Or how about we go even further and say “any male professional in the medical field will lust after their female patients.”

Sounds rather ridiculous, doesn’t it?

What is even funnier is that you can’t always tell if a female gyn. is a lesbian. Someone’s sexual orientation should have nothing to do with their professional work.

Excellent points!

 

[ToeInTheWater]

Instead I see this becoming a “male doctors will be tempted to lust after their female patients.” We might as well say “female doctors will be tempted to lust after their teenage male patients.” Or how about we go even further and say “any male professional in the medical field will lust after their female patients.”

Well, if we’re really being consistent, then it seems logical to say “any female professional in the medical field will lust after their male patients”. But if that’s the case, then it seems we need to be recruiting a whole lot more men to join the nursing profession! The vast majority of nurses are female, this proportion is much more than that of female doctors. And most nurses have, at one time or another, inserted what is known as a Foley catheter. That is a tube that goes into the bladder to drain urine during surgery, or in the ICU, or in other patients who can’t void by themselves. A nurse inserting a Foley in a man HAS to touch his penis in order to do this. Even nurses who don’t have to perform this task often examine patients as part of their duties, see patients naked as they prep their bodies for surgery, etc.

Again, I respect patients’ preferences, and certainly if they are willing to undergo personal inconvenience to obtain those, more power to them. Especially if this means more support for women to become doctors, instead of the assumption that the vast majority of women are best suited to be wives, mothers, or religious sisters, and only have outside employment for dire financial needs.

However, I really hope that no woman goes without needed medical care due to this concern. For example, if a woman is in a serious accident and needs trauma care. It is part of the standard of care to remove all clothing from a trauma victim so they can be checked for injuries. Most trauma surgeons are men, and this is not the kind of situation where the woman has time to seek out a female surgeon.

Exposure of certain body parts is not the same as immodesty. Otherwise, nursing in public would always be immodest, just because it could result in an occasion of sin for some man (or woman, if she has has same-sex attractions).

 

[Ailina]

That is not true. Men are men. Doctors are not morally above other men. I’m sure that there are times that male doctors may not lust. I am sure that many of them are grossed out by some things such as meconium that may come out during birth. If I was guaranteed that a male doctor would not lust, I still would not go to him for intimate procedures at all. I believe that my future husband should be the only man to access and see certain parts of my body. I understand JesusisMercy’s convictions completely.

There are a lot of women who are extremely modest and it is totally untrue that they are willing to let go of their modesty. There are some great all female ob/gyn practices in the US that can guarantee a female ob/gyn. One couple had a wonderful experience with an all female ob/gyn practice recently and they were so glad that they had an all female team for the birth of their child. Many people falsely assume that laboring women don’t care about their modesty because they are in too much pain.

I am blessed that there are many female gynecologists about 30 minutes west of me. If I needed the best medical treatment, I would find the best female gynecologist even if she was 3 hours away. I feel it’s worth driving long distance for a very expert female gynecologist. I understand that some women don;t like to drive long distance. But I’m the kind of person who doesn’t mind driving a long distance.

I know that there are some rural areas of the US that don’t have many female gynecologists such as Wyoming.

How would you know for sure your female ob-gen isn’t a lesbian? Or any doctor wasn’t bisexual? Most medical procedures are not sexy, and rarely are you required to completely strip down. Even if my female family doctor’s office, I am always partially clothed with one of those open gowns.

Childbirth stripped my superficial sense of ladylike modesty away, because you are required to spread your legs open in order for the babies to come on through. There is no such thing as modesty and genteel decorum while birthing. It really is raw, physical labour, that requires lots of sweat, blood and some tears.

 

[Ashurie]

Why is this even being discussed? If a woman has a problem about their male doctor, especially when it comes to the all important breast checks and pap smears. The answer is simple, see a female doctor - last time I checked they are still around in G.P’s. Also keeping in mind, all doctors are professionals, and seeing people privates would be nothing new to them, esp, when they would also see the privates of the young and old.

It really shouldn’t be a issue, when something like a pap smear comes around - wouldn’t be common sense and natural to want a female to look (as they have what us other females have)? Their PRIVATE lives should NOT be a issue, when it comes your health and their professionalism.

 

[spunjalebi]

The OP had a very traumatic experience which has shaped her views on this issue, so in a way I understand. Her mother seems to have placed her in a situation which caused her to be uncomfortable and I think that’s very legitimate.

What I don’t understand are the accusations against male doctors and their supposed lack of controlling their desires with female patients. There is a reason why there are so many male doctors, especially gynecologists-- it’s because women couldn’t be doctors in the past, and now it’s difficult for a woman to be a doctor if she is a wife and mother.

 

[ModestWoman]

Okay so here’s what is a rather interesting conundrum. If you are to believe that a male doctor should not perform an intimate examination on a female patient, then why have I in the past experienced so much resistance from Christians when it came to a woman wanting to pursue a medical career? For these very reasons? I can recall as a late teen, when I talked to other Christian women about possibly becoming a doctor, I was hit with “women should not work outside the home,” and “you can’t be a good Christian woman and work outside the home and be married, etc.”

We can go off about how it’s wrong for a man to examine private parts of a woman he’s not married to, but in reality this is the way it simply is, and has been, for women for almost centuries. Men in the past performed examinations on women to ensure virginity and I highly doubt they would have allowed a woman to do that. I’m just saying.

I disagree with those who say that women should not be doctors. There are a lot of female doctors who are good moms. I heard of one midwife who works full time and her husband stays at home with the kids. It is a big lie that women cannot be good Christians and have a career. I believe God’s plan is different for everyone.

I’m sorry for the resistance you got as a teenager. I wish you could have followed your dream of becoming a doctor. One pastor’s wife, Dr. Kimberly Turner in Columbia, MD is a gynecologist. I am sure God has used her in so many ways as a gynecologist. Also look at the biography of the founder of an all female practice at awomansview.com/lovin.htm. Also look at how a female gynecologist used to be a missionary in Africa (awomansview.com/bilhorn.htm).

Did you know that many years ago midwives delivered babies? In fact, if you look at the bible, you will notice that midwives delivered babies. Remember that there were no pap smears at all in the Biblical time. Pap smears were invented in 1900s.