Is This Child Abuse or Sexual Assault?
Posted by Rachel on October 30, 2007
The Labor Nurse at REBIRTH has a new post on how a mother is handling her teen daughter’s birth control, and to me it feels like a horrid mix of child abuse and sexual assault. The mom’s great idea for controlling her teenager (with multiple partners):
Bring her to your OB/GYN and request that she be put on the vaginal ring contraceptive. This way you can assist her with its insertion and removal. [emphasis mine]
A teenager with multiple sexual partners probably does need access to some kind of contraception. Should mom be able to force her to go on a hormonal contraceptive? The passage suggests that mom is going to be poking around daughter’s vagina for insertion and removal of the ring, and, I don’t know, maybe doing surprise vagina inspections since the ring can be removed at any time? I know parents are responsible for their kids’ medical needs, but non-consensual vagina inspections seems like a really gross mix of child abuse and sexual assault.
I’d be interested in what my healthcare provider readers have to say. No matter who is doing the forced vagina prodding, even if it’s mom, and even if she has the best of intentions, it still seems wrong.
Ginger said
uh, yeah…that is sexual abuse, imho.
Rachel said
Ginger, I thought so, too.
Leigh said
Wow! It’s hard to imagine anyone thinking that’s OK.
nance said
Mark Samuel, Nurse Sex Offender Convicted
On Sept 8,2005 RN:Mark Samuel was sentenced to five years in Jail with all but two years suspended,having been convicted in January 2004 of unlawful sexual contact with a 6 year-old girl . Mark Samuel counseled the girls mother. when the counseling ended , the three became friends attending family fuctions together. The violations occurred during sleepovers at the Nurses residence during the summer of 2003. Mark Samuel has been released from prison and is now at risk to the community of North Bay Ontario Mark Samuel emyployed 2007 for Assertive community treatment Team North Bay, ON
Northeast Mental Health Center
P.O. Box 3010 4700
Highway 11 N
North Bay, ON,CA