Phillly.com

cbs3.com

An opinion piece from The Angry Black Woman's blog:

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The tattoo was not at all medical in nature. She had surgery for a herniated disc and the next morning discovered a rose tattoo had been placed on her abdomen below her panty line. The doctor doesn’t deny doing it. In fact he claims he does this with all his patients to lift their spirits after surgery. Now, the really interesting (and disturbing) thing about this situation is how people have reacted to this woman’s decision to sue. The comments on this article are just the tip of the iceberg. Many people seem to be outraged by this woman being willing to sue this doctor for marking her (however temporarily) in her pelvic area without her permission.

We’ve all gone the rounds about the politics of choice as it applies to reproduction. But the idea that women’s bodies are public property doesn’t stop there. Catcalling, comments on weight, comments on hair or makeup from strangers are all just symptoms of a larger societal delusion that women’s bodies are a commodity first. Somehow we’ve gotten stuck in this idea that a woman’s valuing of her body as a part of her self comes second because her first role is to belong to the world at large. Women who refuse to accept that paradigm and insist on being recognized as people first whether it be by yelling back at catcallers, refusing to let strangers touch them, or filing suit when they feel they’ve been violated are then castigated for having the temerity to think that they can dictate what happens to their bodies. Apparently we’re just supposed accept these “lesser” intrusions and not take steps to reclaim that sense of safety because nice girls know their place and don’t delude themselves that they have a right to feel safe and comfortable.

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That's one of the reasons I am terrified of ever having surgery -- you don't know what they're doing when you're out, you can't defend yourself.

Edited to add : Didn;t realise she had already mentioned it.

[ 25 July 2008: Message edited by: Pride for Red Dolores ]

My guess is that if most men heard that story, magically, suddenly, they might get why crap like this isn't OK.

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Originally posted by bigcitygal:
But it didn't happen in Canada. Can you please not derail this thread Fidel?

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Originally posted by bigcitygal:
The fact that all this is so completely normalized is the issue that needs challenging, is what I'm thinking.

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