Imagine yourself as a young,
unmarried woman living in Iran. One day,
you began to notice a strange, lower abdominal pain. You suspect that it is a reproductive system
problem and you make an appointment for a doctor’s visit. Upon arriving, the nurse asks you to disrobe,
but you find out that the doctor is male and there are no female doctors available. It is against your religion and culture to be
examined by a male doctor, especially before marriage, but there are no other
options. You must decide if you will
allow the visit to proceed as planned and possibly ruin your chances for
marriage later due to your culture and religion, or leave the clinic not
knowing if you have a life-threatening reproductive system issue.
This is an issue for many women
worldwide. Women have varying degrees of
modesty and, unlike popular belief, modesty is not simply a fear of being
judged by mankind. It can be a fear of
being judged by God. It can be a fear of
turning one’s back on her culture. It
can also be a simple respect for her husband and allowing him to have a special
access to her body that no one else has had or ever will have. Yet, all too often, society expects women to
suddenly abandon all religious beliefs and disrobe immediately when a male
doctor appears in the examination room.
This expectation has been responsible for the deaths of women due to
reproductive system cancers that were advanced by the time that the women were
rushed to the emergency room.
There is no easy solution to this
problem. However, even beyond the
twentieth century, male doctors have continued to outnumber female doctors in
clinics and hospitals. Therefore, we
must reach the next generation by supporting organizations that provide
scholarships to women in medicine. We
must also support organizations that provide educational programs to encourage
more women to enter the field of medicine.
We cannot and should not try to
change the religious and cultural beliefs of any woman. A woman’s body belongs
to her and she should be able to decide the circumstances under which it can be
viewed. Nevertheless, we can change
the expectations of society so that the norm conforms to and provides for the
needs of women.
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