Physician Speaks out About Forced T.V.U.S. and Civil Disobedience

[K Gardner]

Last edited Wed Mar 21, 2012, 08:53 AM - Edit history (1)

This physician wrote anonymously and eloquently, and was hosted on John Scalzi's blog. The message needs to be spread far and wide, in hopes of encouraging other physicians to do the same.

http://whatever.scalzi.com/2012/03/20/guest-post-a-doctor-on-transvaginal-ultrasounds/

In all of the discussion and all of the outrage and all of the Doonesbury comics, I find it interesting that we physicians are relatively silent. After all, it’s our hands that will supposedly be used to insert medical equipment (tools of HEALING, for the sake of all that is good and holy) into the vaginas of coerced women.

Fellow physicians, once again we are being used as tools to screw people over. This time, it’s the politicians who want to use us to implement their morally reprehensible legislation. They want to use our ultrasound machines to invade women’s bodies, and they want our hands to be at the controls. Coerced and invaded women, you have a problem with that? Blame us evil doctors. We are such deliciously silent scapegoats.

It is our responsibility, as always, to protect our patients from things that would harm them. Therefore, as physicians, it is our duty to refuse to perform a medical procedure that is not medically indicated. Any medical procedure. Whatever the pseudo-justification.

It’s time for a little old-fashioned civil disobedience.

The physician goes on to list ways of legal noncompliance with the new forced transvaginal ultrasound laws. The post has sparked what John says has been his "busiest day since 2008" and has required him to evidently sit guard with an iron fist on the comments section, and turn off comments in order to be able to sleep. The comments and stories elicited there are amazing and heartfelt.

It sounds like a country united.