Women's bodies are under constant scrutiny, and to make things worse, we often suffer at the hands of those who disregard our governance. This has been true throughout history and continues even now.
Women's bodies are under constant scrutiny, and to make things worse, we often suffer at the hands of those who disregard our governance. This has been true throughout history and continues even now.
Often, narratives emerge that illustrate the unbelievable ways medical professionals, particularly males, disregard women's ownership over their body.
— and it caught the attention of thousands of women who shared her experiences.
Even before she was pregnant, there was evidence of medical irresponsibility.
This could be because birth control is completely disregarded by the doctor when writing prescriptions or simply because there have been too few studies on the consequences of combining it with other medications.
After that, she was disinclined to try again — or rather, at all.
Her doctor's words made her feel so ashamed that her depression worsened, her relationships suffered, and she could not raise her daughter, Salome, optimally.
But even so, there is still a lot of stigma around women who may choose not to have more children or any at all, even if that choice is due to medical reasons.
By the grace of chance, she had a new, younger doctor for her next delivery.
It's notable that this was still 35 years ago, which illustrates how different generations of doctors have always clashed.
This drastic contrast in her medical care changed Salome's mother's life.
"That she was able to have her choice over her own body respected."
He "used his authority to put her life in danger, to weaken the bonds she formed with me, to make her fear being intimate with my father, and to shame her into not confiding in her support system."
The thread was powerful, moving, and retweeted or liked over 80, 000 times.
"Before my mother was deemed healthy enough to have her tubal litigation surgery," Salome wrote, "she got pregnant again." Again, this was due to the conflict between her meds and birth control.
Thankfully, everyone was on her side this time.
Salome finishes by noting that she knows she or her brother wouldn't exist if her mother's birth control hadn't failed or her tubes had been tied earlier. But she also believes in the power of a woman to choose.
You can read the full story here.