![]() His work using the vaginal speculum and innovative surgical procedures has proven valuable in the world of gynecology. The scientist known as the “Father of Gynecology,” James Marion Sims, is still praised for his discoveries concerning the female reproductive system. Surgeons were performing experimental ovariectomies and c-sections on enslaved women. ![]() The recorded experimentation of black women began in the 1830s. The experimentation on black people during the time of American slavery has created these stereotypes and whether or not doctors are aware that they use them, they are harmful to the well-being of their patients. Emory University conducted a study in the 2000s in an emergency room in Atlanta that showed that seventy-four percent of white patients received painkillers for their bone fractures, while only fifty percent of black patients did (Somashekhar). This bias spreads beyond the delivery room, as the pain of many black patients is also being denied by doctors in the emergency room and in everyday practice. Unconscious bias grew out of this history and is still killing us to this day. With this dark gynecological history dating back to slavery, the advancement of the study rests on the pain and suffering of black women (Holland). Leaving medical racism to blame, as these complications are not coincidental nor circumstantial. In a study conducted by the Department of Health, a black woman with an advanced college degree is still more than twice as likely to experience severe childbirth complications than a white woman who has not completed high school. For the majority, these deaths are not associated with education, income, or health insurance status. Unfortunately, what is being ignored about these statistics, is that us black women make up the greater part of those deaths. The CDC also entails that the United States ranks the lowest out of all developed countries. From 1987 to 2014, the amount of pregnancy related deaths has suffered a twenty-six percent increase, according to The Center for Disease Control and Prevention. We are failing mothers, and the number of deaths per year is only on the rise. However, in America these expecting mothers are dying at an alarming rate, before even getting a chance to embrace motherhood. An expectant mother should be ecstatic to choose her unborn child’s name, find who they resemble most in appearance, and watch them grow up into full adults. Pregnancy is one of the most life changing experiences for a woman. Therefore, it is the responsibility of medical institutions to properly educate their doctors and hire people of color. The history of abusive experimentation on slaves continues to perpetuate the mistreatment of black people in the healthcare system. Black women are forced to face issues such as matricide, racist medical history, stereotypes surrounding drug abuse, and the mistreatment of their children at the hands of doctors. Unheard or Ignored: The Medical Complaints of Black WomenĪctress Issa Rae once said, “Black women aren’t bitter, they’re just tired of being expected to settle for less.” In the healthcare system, that is exactly what we are expected to do. STUDENT VOICES | ETHICS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE ESSAY PRIZE SECOND-PLACE WINNERīy Denayia Miniex, Fordham University at Lincoln Center
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