I am back to blogging in Las Vegas. I had a wonderful, relaxing time away, but it is back to business. A woman shared her own personal and painful story with me as a result of reading this blog, and I am sharing it with you now (with her permission).
Rebecca’s Story
“I was just writing to tell you how very much I appreciate what you are doing. I had an ectopic pregnancy removed, along with my right tube, after I hemorrhaged in the hospital. I gave no informed consent, was poorly treated, and then told I couldn’t have my baby’s remains. The hospital gave us no information. We finally went to the lab that my tissue had been sent to, without our consent, and they released what little they had left–only after a fight. I don’t know what right hospitals have to take parts of our bodies and then claim them as their own, but I do know I will never willingly enter a hospital like that again. The bottom line is this: a woman’s body is no longer her own once she enters a hospital, and many times the law supports any and all invasive techniques the hospitals wish to use, including the removal and disposal of our body parts and children’s remains. I, too, grieve about the treatment of women in the medical community, as if we are owned. If we aren’t owned by the medical community, at the very least our body parts and babies are. It’s so sad.”
Thank you, Rebecca, for speaking out. Until recently, I was not aware that hospitals were given such broad rights with regards to a woman’s body. I suspect that I am not the only one who has been in the dark. I’ve been accused of being an idealist, but I just assumed that what a woman creates inside her womb would, unquestionably, be hers.
I have never given birth inside a hospital, and I am feeling more and more blessed for that fact every day.
Speaking of hospitals, I’ve been in touch with several more in the Las Vegas area, with some positive results to report! I am gratified to learn that some hospitals here are more progressive than others. Please stay tuned for that update coming soon.
