http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-34426475
The link above features a short video posted to the BBC News web page earlier this month. The video includes an interview with a French woman who went to the doctor for a routine pelvic examination and pregnancy check-up. The physician performed a pap smear without telling the patient, leaving her distraught and in tears. The patient, Elise, was prompted to conduct some independent research and found that it was not uncommon for doctors, especially medical students to perform certain medical procedures or tests without the consent of their patients. The video includes some quotes that verify such occurrences. One anonymous individual stated: “I did my first pelvic examination on a patient under anesthesia, it doesn’t really shock me…we’re students, we have to learn somehow.” Elise’s husband found a paper from the University of Lyon, in France, that described how vaginal examinations were conducted on patients under anesthesia. After she tweeted her findings, the university removed the paper from the internet and asserted that it was not reflective of their practices. Some doctors, one particularly featured in the video, claim that consent is not always “practical” and that patients should trust that their doctors are operating with their best interest in mind. This obviously poses a huge ethical, professional, and legal issue that needs to be addressed.
Jordan Rollins