Public Seminar Series: Sexual Misconduct and the Crisis in Reproductive Health Care in the US

Beginning in 1960, a trip to the gynaecologist was nearly synonymous with getting the birth control pill – or at least the main reason many visited the gynaecologist in the U.S. But by the 1990s, it was becoming clearer that more and more sexually active women were putting off a trip to the gynaecologist due to the shame and fear of getting a pelvic exam. But why has the pelvic exam become a source of shame and fear? In this paper, I argue that the exposure of sexual misconduct in the examining room has eroded the sense of trust between patients and gynaecologists, resulting in a massive decline in preventive reproductive health care.

Professor Wendy Kline is the Dema G. Seelye Chair in the History of Medicine at Purdue University. She is internationally recognized for her scholarship in the history of medicine, history of women's health and the history of childbirth. She is the creator and Director of Purdue's Medical Humanities certificate program.

Chair: Prof Jon Bell (UCL)

Mark your calendars for October 11 2023 at 16:30- 18:00 Room 103, 51 Gordon Square