# Med school students routinely perform vaginal exams on unconscious, unconsenting patients.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/med-school-students-routinely-perform-vaginal-exams-on-unconscious-unconsenting-patients/836096>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [June 26, 2019, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/med-school-students-routinely-perform-vaginal-exams-on-unconscious-unconsenting-patients/836096 "2019-06-26T14:26:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\
**Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/med-school-students-routinely-perform-vaginal-exams-on-unconscious-unconsenting-patients/836096/41 "2019-06-27T03:54:02Z")

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Of course there’s sex element to it as well. It’s not just a god Complex. It’s not happening to men. It’s happening to women because, hey, look she can’t stop us and I’d like to stick my fingers into her without her consent. The only “god” complex might be the power imbalance that lets people do these things without other people stopping them.

When you go into the hospital for, say, ankle surgery, there is a rigorous consent procedure. I talked to the receptionist, the admissions team, the nurse, the second nurse, the surgeon, the anesthesiologist, and the other nurse they had to get to do my IV. We discussed the procedure. They marked the leg. At no point did anyone say “and we might randomly check out other stuff if we feel like it.” There is an extensive procedure and there’s no grey area for random groping and penetration.

Conducting pelvic exams on unconscious (or conscious) women without their explicit consent is sexual assault.

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**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\
**Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/med-school-students-routinely-perform-vaginal-exams-on-unconscious-unconsenting-patients/836096/42 "2019-06-27T05:51:05Z")

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> [@Sunny\_Daze](#):
>
> Of course there’s sex element to it as well. It’s not just a god Complex. It’s not happening to men.

From the article:

> [@](#):
>
> Like unauthorized pelvic exams, there haven’t been studies estimating the frequency of similar rectal or prostate exams, but there is anecdotal evidence that they occur

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**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\
**Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/med-school-students-routinely-perform-vaginal-exams-on-unconscious-unconsenting-patients/836096/43 "2019-06-27T06:22:48Z")

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Close this ridiculous loophole. The only time doctors (or med students) should do a pelvic exam on an unconscious woman is under emergencies when there’s evidence she may be miscarrying or suffering internal injuries. However, the same Washington law **Procrustus** referred to says such procedures _must be necessary for the diagnosis or treatment of a patient_. Exams to teach medical students does not fall into that category.

And there’s no need for this gross violation of a woman’s person. Med students do pelvic exams during the GYN rotation on conscious women who give their consent. Using unconscious women as medical mannequins is unnecessary, unethical and disturbing.

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