Medical oppression is an awful problem in our current society today. Many factors come into play like, social status especially gender and race. I did not get much of a surprise from “A Birth Story’ by Dr. Dana-Ain Davis, because I have heard similar experiences from black women in my community as well as close family members. However, Eden Prairie, Minnesota story was a bit surprising to me when he stated that he now wears a “EMS Do Not Resuscitate” bracelet and carry a doctor signed [Do Not Resuscitate] order in his purse. I felt as though he made his experience get the better of him and I also felt that he had no support from anyone, no care or affection. When I came to the U.S a past co-worker had told me about an experience she had with a person who wore the [Do Not Resuscitate] and shared the negative effect it could have on the person trying to help but has no knowledge on things of that nature (like me). She mentioned to me that the person could sue you if they survive (not sure if that was true).
The connections I had with the readings were that anyone could experience medical oppression when the person who is giving the services has a certain belief about, race, social status, gender etc. However, Black people and non-conforming people has a higher percentage experiencing medical oppression today. Medication oppression can be considered one of the worse oppressions today because it has to do with the body and being denied of medical care especially when sick or injured and is seeking help but in denial.
The format in which the stories are shared impact my understanding of medical oppression and/or other aspects of gender as pure ignorance and dehumanization amongst each other. Each story shared a similar pattern of judgmental medical officials who ignorantly set aside their professional services and act out on their personal beliefs putting transgender individuals at risk. The LGBTQ community and the black community LGBTQ community discrimination daily but imagine needing treatment and is being denied because of being something you cannot change and is human just like anyone else. “A Birth Story” really resonated with me because I am a black female and would never want to even imagine being humiliated and treated unfairly because of the color of my skin. It is scary to think of a situation like that and it seems that no matter how much planning ahead of time with the most appropriate/relatable people available there is always a bad apple in the bunch.
