Recently I found out it’s common practice for medical students in teaching hospitals to preform invasive internal pelvic exams on women who are under anesthesia, simply for educational purposes, meaning, there was no medical reason to preform this exam on a particular patient. Snopes has reported on this that only 5 states have outlawed this. There is no informed specific consent given, to have students exploring a woman’s vagina for educational purposes. In most cases women don’t even know it’s happening! Most sources in the Snopes report were from students themselves verifying they were in fact asked to do the exams, and obeyed, some begrudgingly. 

South Caroliba is one of 45 states that still allows this and it needs to stop! Not only is it an intrusion to have anyone in the medical field preform unnecessary internal exams, but for most women, going to the OBGYN conscious, for a pelvic exam, is extremely stressful due to the invasive ness. It’s highly destressing to know that when women are under anesthesia, extremely vulnerable, their nether region can be explored without their consent, and with no medical reason to do it. 

At the same time for men, I’d say invasive prostate exams by students, while unconscious, without consent or medical purpose, should be outlawed as well.