What Every Woman Needs to Know

8.   Medical predators are attracted to a patient’s vulnerability and the opportunity to abuse, rather than to the patient’s physical features.  I was not very 'attractive' because I was bruised, visibly injured, and unable to advocate for myself.  He assaulted me because I could not fight back.  Maybe he thought I would not remember him or could not read his name tag, but the truth is I cannot forget his face, name, hospital ID badge, or what he did to me.

What Every Woman Needs to Know

7.   Repeated self-reported studies indicate that about 10% of male medical providers, regardless of specialty, sexually abuse female patients.  Often these predators are prominent doctors, who misuse their status and privilege to take personal advantage of women. Surely they think they are above the law and the reputation will provide “cover.”  The Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO, which my hospital proudly advertizes as belonging to) lists hospital sexual assaults as a Top-10 high-frequency problem.

What Every Woman Needs to Know

6.   The vast majority of sexual assault victim-survivors do not report their assault, even though we know the identity of our attacker.  Often we are much too traumatized, humiliated, and angry.  We fear that a victim-unfriendly legal system will assault and retraumatize us again and again.  It’s called “strip and drag” and it is another way of blaming the victim and denying the truth.  Some hospitals are known to hire unethical contract defense lawyers to do this "dirty" re-victimization work for them.

Alternatively, perhaps we are told by police or prosecutors that we cannot prove our assault well enough to obtain justice (i.e., "beyond a reasonable doubt," which does not mean beyond a shadow of a doubt).  It is as if someone expects a video documentary of the assault, a detailed confession, or a slam-dunk criminal conviction guarantee. If only life were that ideal for us.  Thus, the vast majority of predators are never penalized.

The statistics are even worse when the sexual assault occurs under the guise of medicine — because society expects our doctors to be above that.  Moreover, women expect our hospitals to keep us safe, but they do not.  A doctor who sexually abuses women is the medical equivalent of a pedophile.  His acts are even easier to achieve (and conceal) than taking candy away from a baby.  Babies at least cry out; but women are silenced by sexual shame.  The reality is that some doctors do assault, and hospitals protect their deviant doctors again and again.  Do not expect any positive help from a hospital to protect the next woman.

What Every Woman Needs to Know

5.  In my personal quest to understand why I was assaulted by a (foreign educated, foreign national) doctor, I discovered that repeated studies around the world show that a significant percentage of otherwise normal males would assault at-will if guaranteed immunity from prosecution, which is almost the case now.

What Every Woman Needs to Know

4.  Studies show that about 33% of all women are sexually assaulted during their lifetimes.  If men were assaulted at such epidemic rates, there would be justifiable outrage, indignation, and concerted efforts to achieve effective protection for their bodies and minds.  Laws would change, including higher convictions and penalties for sex crimes.

What Every Woman Needs to Know

3.  It is a sad fact that women are more vulnerable to sexual assaults than men, including while in hospitals, where women are undressed and extraordinarily vulnerable.  Assaults are a manifestation of disrespect and inequality.  Women need to receive equal protection under the law — and equal respect, including equitable representation at the top levels in medicine to fairly protect our rights and advocate for our interests. Women must achieve a greater measure of bodily protection as a patient and equality in the profession.  Women need to be equal partners in the field of medicine. 

What Every Woman Needs to Know

2.  The sudden medical emergency I experienced could have happened to any woman. I was simply a physically helpless woman who did not deserve to be assaulted. I could have been any woman or girl — you or your loved one.

What Every Woman Needs to Know

I wish to save the next woman from the trauma of “medicine’s dirty little secret” that some hospitals and doctors do not want you to know about.

1.  I was personally and intimately assaulted in a medical setting while disabled and powerless.  I have been highly traumatized.  I have enduring feelings of violation, outrage, and harm.  The experience has been life-altering.  I suspect that the trauma will never go away.