How do women of all colors say thank you to Lucy, Anarcha, Betsey, and other black victims of Dr. James Marion Sims, the “father of gynecology”?
You may not know anything about these women. I didn’t either until recently. But we owe them and other nameless victims of the famous doctor a debt of gratitude. Why do we owe them? These enslaved women suffered and endured experiments that led to life-saving reproductive procedures. The world avows Dr. James Marion Sims’ trailblazing discoveries and inventions. We should also recognize the women who were an integral part of his experiments.
Lucy, Anarcha, and Betsey deserve acknowledgment, not obscurity. We remember and honor them and others who endured experimental atrocities.
By force. Without anesthesia. Without any form of numbing. Child-bearing slaves went under the doctor’s knife. And OUCH! doesn’t describe this kind of pain.
Dr. Sims was a ruthless physician with no regard for the humanity of black people. He believed blacks were less intelligent and inferior to whites. And a black person’s pain was different than a white person’s pain. His Frankenstein methods and experiments without anesthesia were no less than criminal.
No doctor-patient relationship here. No bedside manners. Dr. Sims’ personal and professional ethics were racist based.
Reproductive health was Dr. Sims medical practice. And the women were the property of slave owners who wanted slave children. So, the slave owners and Dr. Sims worked together. Dr. Sims had all the test subjects he needed. And the patched-up slaves had babies who became the property of the slavemasters.
We can’t afford to accept Dr. Sims’ achievements and disregard the brutal and immoral acts he took. No, we can’t. Any good that results from evil doesn’t excuse the wrongs committed. We all are accountable for our actions. Supporting others in their wrongdoings isn’t right.
Who supported the doctor? Other doctors. And those who didn’t support him did nothing to stop his inhumane treatment of the slaves. Even though they knew he crossed the line. But for Dr. Sims “the end justified the means.”
Operating in this manner, Dr. Sims was void of moral turpitude.
No one interceded on behalf of the poor, used black women?
But because of them, all women have access to the reproductive healthcare discoveries.
We pay tribute to the bravest of women. Perched on their knees and elbows with their heads in their hands, they endured pure agony.
We say thank you by acknowledging you and condemning the vile things done to all of you.