A doctor is a public servant who swears to provide care and medical treatment for their patients. Everyone trusts doctors to provide adequate and safe medical care. However, trusting a physician for healthcare can be scary, as bad actors can come out of the woodwork. Physical and sexual abuse in the healthcare field can and does happen. Some of the most famous cases are listed in this article. Learning from these cases can help protect others from suffering the same fate.
Dr. Harold Bloomfield
Harold Bloomfield was a renowned psychotherapist who authored many self-help books that sold millions of copies. He even appeared on talk shows such as Oprah and Good Morning America. His training included Yale. In 2001, several women came forward and claimed that the doctor gave them drinks and smoothies that were drugged, which allowed the doctor to sexually abuse them. The women were tested for drugs to confirm their accusations, which came back positive. He was charged with unlawful drugging and sexual battery.
Dr. Melvin Levine
Dr. Levine was a pediatrician for decades. His advocacy for children of all backgrounds made him a reputable and renowned figure in child psychology and medicine, even appearing on talk shows and his own miniseries. Carmen Durso, a Massachusetts lawyer, accused Levine of sexually abusing at least five former male patients as children. No criminal charges were pursued, but other complaints from the 1960s through the 1980s have surfaced. Letters of complaints to the hospital where he was employed were also found detailing sexual abuse. Before cases could be proved in court, Levine took his own life. He maintained his innocence his entire life.
Dr. Robert Anderson
This case is generally considered one of the most prominent abuse cases by one person in American history. Dr. Robert Anderson was a sports medicine doctor who worked for the University of Michigan’s health center. He subjected patients to unsanctioned rectal and genital exams, collected semen unnecessarily, and other atrocious acts. Due to the prevalence of his sexual abuse, many colleagues and patients were familiar with his conduct, even earning nicknames for his behavior. Even NFL players were subjected to his abuse. Over his medical career of nearly 30 years, he accrued over 2,000 sexual assault reports. Unfortunately, most allegations were not made public until he died in 2008. The university did provide a settlement for at least 1,000 victims, however.
Dr. Robert Hadden
Dr. Hadden was a gynecologist in New York, mainly at New York Presbyterian Hospital. His medical career spanned from 1987 until 2012, when accusations came forward about his abuse. During his medical examinations, he would sexually abuse women during what patients would believe was a standard gynecological exam until it turned inappropriate. When accusations from hundreds of women were made public in 2012, he lost his medical license but initially did not serve jail time until presidential candidate Andrew Yang’s wife pressed charges against him for assaulting her during pregnancy. His victims regularly consisted of pregnant women and underage girls. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Dr. Larry Nassar
At the forefront of the USA Gymnastics sex abuse scandal, Dr. Larry Nassar was a family medicine physician and the team doctor for the women’s United States Gymnastics team from 1996-2014. He was accused of assaulting over 200 women and girls during this time under the ruse of medical examinations and treatment. He was arrested and charged in 2016 and sentenced to life imprisonment for the sexual abuse, rape, and possession of child pornography. A documentary about this scandal was made called Athlete A.
Signs of Medical Sexual Abuse
If you feel a doctor has inappropriately abused you, it’s essential to know the common methods of identifying sexual abuse by a doctor. A doctor should only touch you for official medical purposes and always with consent. Usually, doctors will dictate where they will touch and why before doing so. You always have the right to refuse a procedure or examination without judgment or pressure. They will never ask you to touch them sexually for any reason. They will never meet up with you for sexual or romantic purposes. They should not make inappropriate comments about your body, body parts, or sexual habits. Inquiring of sexual history should be for medicinal and healthcare purposes only.
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Conclusion
Medical doctors are meant to treat, prevent, and care for patients and their health. Some doctors abuse their privilege and twist patients’ consent into something sinister, causing abuse and harm. There have been a few infamous medical doctors over the years who have been accused of or charged with heinous sexual abuse crimes, such as Larry Nassar or Robert Anderson. These stories are tragic, and the victims put their trust in an authority figure who abused that trust. It’s a good idea to understand the signs of physician sexual abuse to protect yourself and others from similar abuse.
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