No Mas Bebes Essay

The film, No mas Bebes, focuses on a 1975 lawsuit that shed light on the unlawful and unwanted tubal ligations that occured at a Los Angeles hospital in the 1960s and 70s. Ten Hispanic women came forward to share their stories. Reminiscent of experiments done in Germany during WWII, when unwanted sterilization of ‘unfavorable’ races were conducted. Also similar to the “Mississippi appendectomy;” where women would be told that they needed an appendectomy and they would go in and tie their tubes. This happened to poor women of low socioeconomic status, mainly black and latino. Doctor Quilligan said that they received a grant to try to cut the birth rate of these groups, with the idea of “overpopulation” in mind. The doctor who performed these …show more content…
This women were not treated with dignity and respect, they were not honestly disclosed with the information they needed. “I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures which are required, avoiding those twin traps of overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism.” Tie tubes without consent is a blatant disregard of this oath. “I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy and understanding may outweigh the surgeon's knife or the chemist's drug.” This incorporates health as a whole, treating the whole person, not just ‘practicing medicine.’ “I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body, as well as the infirm.” These doctors that performed these surgeries showed a blatant disregard for human autonomy. There is absolutely no justification for what they did. Dr. Rosenfeld did what he felt he needed to do by bowing the whistle on this crime. They violated the Hippocratic oath they swore to uphold. This whole tragedy is so sad. I feel for the women who went through this. The shame, embarrassment, depression, and helplessness they feel should never be at the hands of