Medical Sexism

Doctors routinely deny patients access to hormonal birth control prescription refills, and this issue has broad interest for feminism, biomedical ethics, and applied ethics generally. Medical Sexism argues that such practices violate a variety of legal and moral standards, including informed consent, medical malpractice, and human rights. Why are such violations so common, systemic, and persistent? Jill B. Delston examines a range of possible explanations and makes the case for medical sexism as a major underlying cause. Building on this conceptual foundation, the author then considers other common abuses in the medical field, such as abortion access policy, labor and delivery treatment, misdiagnosing strokes, and underestimating pain. Many argue that we can override patient autonomy in reproductive health cases due to the fetus. However, the case of contraception includes the same attitudes, behaviors, and practices even in the absence of a fetus. Delston argues that sexism is a better explanation for the widespread abuse of patient autonomy in reproductive health and health care generally. Identifying, addressing, and rooting out medical sexism is necessary if we are to successfully protect medical and moral values.