In the United States, 30 states have no laws preventing medical students from performing pelvic exams on unconscious patients during medical procedures—without the patient’s explicit consent. According to The Associated Press, these exams often take place in hospitals located in low-income areas, where women of color have historically been—and continue to be—the “guinea pigs” of the medical world. These women have been subjected to experimentation for hundreds of years by the medical community.
Such non-consensual exams not only strip individuals of their autonomy but can also retraumatize survivors of sexual assault. Many patients wake up after surgery without ever being informed that a pelvic exam was performed on them while they were unconscious.
Shockingly, while 20 states have enacted some form of legislation to address this issue, those laws typically focus only on women and individuals with vulvas. There are no protections in place for anal exams, which can also be performed on men and individuals with penises. There needs to be protections for anyone who is getting a medical procedure.
Activists have also called for systems that allow medical students to anonymously report unethical behavior by doctors. In a medical hierarchy where a supervising doctor can significantly impact a student’s future, speaking out can be incredibly difficult and risky.
Overall, we need stronger legal protections and ethical standards in place to ensure that individuals aren’t receiving unexpected and non-consensual exams when they get medical attention.
Resources: https://www.statnews.com/2024/04/01/informed-consent-pelvic-exam-new-hhs-guidelines/
Written by: Beth Ganion
Edited by: Kirsti McNeece
