Re: The Whole Male/Female Dr. Thing, Esp to Dr. Hill~To the Drs. from Robin K.
From: Robin (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Sun, 28 Jan 2001 20:38:46 -0600 (CST)
Dr. Shanahan,
Very well said!!! I have been sitting here trying to come up with a
response to this person that seems very closed minded. I decided, I
have a lot going on right now and they really don't need a response from
me. You and Kas handled this perfectly!
I am sorry to see this happening once again on this forum. This is one
of the reasons one of the great docs left this forum for a while and he
was sorely missed. I only hope it won't stop y'all from continuing the
wonderful things all of you do for everyone that posts here.
I have only found support and understanding from all of the Drs. on
this forum. I am in a very bad way right now, and would post, but it
isn't GYN related. But, coming here and seeing how wonderfully
supportive all of you are to the women who come here seeking help, does
give me faith in the medical community.
All of the Drs. here are a rare breed. I can't thank all of you enough
for the time you have taken with me through the years. When I was
scared, you all eased my fears. When I felt I wasn't going to see the
end of the tunnel, you helped me find the light. This means the world
to me.
Thank you all for everything!!!!!!! I can never repay any of you for all
that you have done for me.
Hugs to all of the Drs.
Robin
At Sun, 28 Jan 2001, Kelly Shanahan, MD wrote:
>
>Oh, PUL-EEEZE. And I suppose by that same reasoning gay women should
>not be gynecologists? And whites shouldn't be involved in the civil
>rights movement? And those of us of Irish Catholic ancestry shouldn't be
>concerned about all those poor Indian Muslims who died and were injured
>in the earthquake?
>
>What is between one's legs does not determine one's competence or one's
>qualifications for being anything -- not a gynecologist, not a mechanic,
>not a teacher. What is in one's heart, mind and soul should be the only
>factors. Obstetrics and gynecology are unique fields in medicine, ones
>in which we get to combine both medicine and surgery, and, in hte case
>of ob, one in which we have the unequaled privalege of helping bring a
>new life into this world. That is a joy I for one do not think men
>should be excluded from.
>
>I am a woman. I have had a baby, but before I did, was I unqualified to
>counsel my pregnant patients, just because I had never before
>experienced carrying a baby of my own? I have never had cancer. Does
>that mean I shouldn't care for women who do? Maybe I should just limit
>my practice to 40 year old white women who have had miscarriages? Better
>not see those women with endometriosis, fibroids, STDs, abnormal pap
>smears or PMS, because I've never expereinced those either.
>
>You are entitled to your opinion, and you can choose who you seek for
>medical care (and legal services, car maintainance, accounting, and
>housecleaning). But if you characterize all men as being wacko perverts
>because they happen to enjoy the challenges and joys of being an ob/gyn,
>you are no different than the people who gassed the Jews in Germany, or
>sold Blacks as property in this country, based only on the god they
>worship or the color of their skin -- or their gender.
>
>At Sun, 28 Jan 2001, anonymous@obgyn.net wrote:
>>
>>Obviously, being a female attorney does not entail staring at a
>>spreadeagled man's genitalia for a living. I think there is something
>>fundamentally wrong with a man who chooses this branch of medicine. Why
>>gynecology? There are thousands of specialties and they will choose
>>gynecology because it satisfies some sort of perversion to be sure. How
>>can a man possibly identify, empathize or know anything about the
>>mechanics of a woman's body? No, I would never let a male gyno stare at
>>my cunt and get his ya yas off, which is why they get into this
>>profession fundamentally. K
>>>
>>>I know I am about to state the obvious, but please let's put a stop to
>>>generalizing about any person's competence in ANY area based upon that
>>>person's gender. Reverse discrimination against male gynecologists is
>>>no more fair than discrimination against female attorneys.
>>>
>>>That being said, everyone is entitled to their opinion and if your
>>>opinion is that you would never see a male gynecologist, that is fine.
>>>But you should know that you are being unfairly discriminatory and are
>>>perhaps missing out on some of the best doctors. But fine. Go to
>>>whatever doctor you want. Your own personal comfort is important.
>>>However, as entitled as you are to your opinion, you are not justified
>>>in generalizing to all other people and assuming that we all should feel
>>>the same way. You should recognize that this is a very personal issue.
>>>
>>>Dr. Hill, we all do not feel "that" way about male gynecologists. I
>>>have been seen by the same male gynecologist for 11 years, and I have no
>>>complaints. Recently, a female gyn joined the practice and she is fine
>>>too (I see her occasionally for OB appointments). Any one of the male
>>>doctors and the female doc are more than welcome to deliver my baby.
>>>
>>>Personally, I look for expertise and bedside manner in an OB-GYN, and
>>>that doesn't exist in only one gender.
>
>--
>M. Kelly Shanahan, MD
>S. Lake Tahoe, CA
>
>***all posts are archived and can be retrieved; keep this in mind when posting items of a personal nature.
>***this is for educational purposes only and does not construe a doctor-patient relationship. You should always consult your own health care provider.
>****private e-mails will not be answered! Please respect my (and all the other docs on the Forum) personal time.
>
--
~Robin~
I'm not a Dr. or any type of Medical Professional. The information I share is based on what I have experienced personally or what I have learned.
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