You will probably get offended by multiple things in this post. I talk about real life situations and use a lot of crass potty language. I wanted to let you know that before hand. Didn’t sign up for that? Then you should pass this one by. No hard feelings.
Today my wife had a check up with the OB/GYN, or I don’t know maybe it was just a GYN. It’s hard for a guy to know about that stuff, I still have a problem picking out the right tampons when I’m out shopping.
Anyway, I get a call from her after the appointment and she said it went fine, but after the check up – the one where another man physically examines my wife – the doctor came back in and said that he had just ‘one more thing’.
That one more thing was a trial at conversion for my wife. A conversion to his faith of preference, christianity.
At this point in the story on the phone, I both thought and said ‘bullshit’. I called bullshit on this doctor. She told me she made it out of the office without a conversion, but asked, “Am I wrong for thinking that that was completely wrong?”
How much further from wrong could she be. She is in a small room with an older man that has just physically examined her – granted I am not a woman, I don’t know what it is like to bleed from my sex organ, and I haven’t been examined like this, the closest that I have come to that was when I showed a female doctor a strange bump next to my wee wee or when I had a colonoscopy, and yes I know neither of those experiences are like going to a lady doctor, but what I hear is that the whole process in the room, with some guy, gloves, fingers, tools, lubricant, it is all a lot – so no, it is not crazy to think that when you are done with such an exam that it would be inappropriate for that doctor to come back in, while you are paying him for his services and try to change your belief structure.
Yeah belief structure, not something like a habit that pertains to your vaginal area. An acceptable example of a OBGYN suggesting a lifestyle change would be more like this, “Excuse me, there was one more thing, you mentioned that you were using certain sex toys, and one of the particular ones that you mentioned, I know from studies, that it can be harmful, I believe that you should stop using it.” That would be his calling in his office. Not to try to change someones religion during a visit.
Call me old fashioned, but I believe in separation of church and snatch.
My practical advice to my wife was to use a statement like this next time someone tries to push their worldview on her, “I respect your beliefs, and I only ask that you give me the same respect by not trying to change mine.” Actually that practical advice came after some very crude other comments I suggested that she say – and though they are not recorded here, they are very humorous, as well as the ones that she fired back to me with.
The practical action will be that I call the doctors office tomorrow and cancel her future visits, very politely letting them know that I believe it is unprofessional to try to change people’s religious beliefs during a doctors visit, no matter how well meaning the doctor is.
I completely respect the doctors right to run a practice however the hell they want, but I think there should be some disclaimers, and bigger disclaimers than the crosses around the office.
You know those forms you fill out with all your medical history, they should have a space that says,
“Is it okay for the doctor to share his or her personal beliefs with you?”
“Would it be okay for the doctor to pray with you?”
“Is it okay to have an altar call after your appointment?”
“Can we pass a collection plate while you are in the waiting room?”
The church has tried so hard to squash out women in the past, I think that this doctor is a little late in trying to remedy the past by converting at pap smears.
That is all, I am done ranting, now I will do the christian thing and politely tell the doctors office that we will no longer be needing their services and suggest that the doctor ask permission before violating someone. . . well the personal space of their religious beliefs.
Tags: doctor, doctors visit, religion, vagina
