In The News: Regulation of Pelvic Exams Is Long Overdue
Wendy Kline, Dema G. Seelye Chair in the History of Medicine and professor of history, discusses the recent U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) letter to the nation's teaching hospitals and medical schools to “reiterate and provide clarity” about the need for written, informed consent before sensitive and intimate examinations.
"When done carefully and respectfully, the pelvic exam remains a valuable, if contested, aspect of reproductive healthcare. The April 1 decision by HHS to require consent for a pelvic exam, particularly on unconscious women, for medical training purposes rather than for the patient’s benefit, makes it abundantly clear that this is not just a problem of the nineteenth century; it’s a problem right now."
Read Professor Leverage's full Made by History article at TIME.