In certain parts of the country, women with SCD disease are being preyed upon and enduring a modern version of what can only be described as eugenics. Stat has spent a year investigating the reproductive autonomy of people with sickle cell, and this first story looks at what can only be described as women with SCD talked into sterilization. For the article, they interviewed 50 women. Their procedures occurred across seven states.
What’s maddening about this is that it often occurs when a sickle cell patient is already pregnant, and they are advised not to have any more by the OBGYN whose care they are under. Presumably, they trust this person who can subtly exert influence and walk a fine line between force and consent. Patients have 30 days to withdraw this consent, but most don’t.
Here is the scary part:
But the doctor said it was best done while she was already open, she recalled, rather than risking another surgery.
Her memory of that day is fuzzy. But there’s one thing she’s adamant about: She didn’t want to sign the form. Nor did she want to die in childbirth, leaving her kids without a mom. Her obstetrician was older and had delivered countless babies. He was Black, like her. She trusted him. Maybe he knew best.
Sometimes, it is your people who betray you.
These sterilizations are confirmations of the doctors’ belief that SCD patients shouldn’t have children. According to the article, “But to doctors researching the risks, the answer is not to discourage people with sickle cell from becoming parents. The answer is to provide better care. Some hospitals have teamed up sickle cell specialists with high-risk pregnancy experts, dramatically reducing complications and, in some cases, doing away with these deaths entirely.”
The article points out why sickle cell patients fall pretty to these pressures. Black women with SCD seeking quality care do not have a lot of options, especially after graduating from a pediatric program. There is a lack of adult specialists available across the country. And the power differential weighs heavily on the doctor’s side.
But no matter where you live, you have rights. Say, can I have time to think about it when in doubt? And get yourself out of there before a decision is made that cannot be undone.
If you are with your significant other, spouse, boo, or anyone who has signing privileges, make sure you go over what they should and should not sign on your behalf.
