5. Pregnant Pelvis Widening
The operating theater can be a barbaric place where draconian medical practices are metered out like medieval punishments. Symphysiotomy is a surgical procedure used to manually widen the pelvis of a pregnant woman. The operation unhinges the pelvis, and saws are often used to cut a pathway large enough for the child to pass. Ireland is the only country to use symphysiotomy instead of the traditional Caesarean section, and it was a widespread medical practice from the 1940s to the 1980s. The United Nations Human Rights Committee eventually found the procedure to be torturous, cruel, and degrading. But by then it was too late; an estimated 1,500 Irish women and girls had undergone the surgery, many of whom now complain of life-long disability and chronic pain.
Discussion about this post