When I was first diagnosed with Gastroparesis & Gastric Crohn’s, a whirlwind of things happened all at once. My hospital room had been a flurry of activity. Then my doctor dropped another bomb; because of this & other factors, I likely would not be able to have children. 1/

Given co-morbid conditions like Endometriosis, she recommended a hysterectomy. Bombshell after bombshell. I had just turned 30. Then she said something I did not expect at all- that my husband would likely have to sign off on the procedure. I am not married. 2/

I told her this & asked why I would need a spouse’s permission to have this done. She looked at me very sadly & stated that most physician’s that perform this procedure, especially here in the south, require a husband’s signature authorizing a sterilization procedure. 3/

Again, I do not have a husband, I said. She said that it would not matter. I would need one to authorize the procedure. 4/

She stopped me before I could object. She knew what I was going to say. She told me that because I was young & without kids, it would be a problem for many physicians, regardless of medical necessity. 5/

It is not a law; it is not a rule. It is a sort of unspoken or I suppose spoken guideline that many physician’s follow regarding female sterilization procedures, medically necessary or not. 6/

This was roughly 7 years ago. Not that long in the scheme of things. This is my own personal experience as the patient. I have also worked in healthcare for 20 years & I can attest to hearing about this happening to dozens of women. 7/

This is exactly why we need more women making decisions about women because it is our body & our choice & a medically necessary procedure should not be left to the decision making of a non-existent spouse. 8/

This is exactly why we need more women in office that understand the importance & nuances of women’s reproductive health & how it means far more than the continuance of a pregnancy. 9/

Therefore, we need women in office who understand that healthcare is about more than the ACA, pre-existing conditions & Medicare for All. 10/

While all those things are extremely important; women’s health, LGTBQ health, Veteran’s health, rural health, etc. are extremely important as well. Let us talk about those too. /end

#KilpatrickforCongress https://secure.actblue.com/donate/hlk 

For the record as some have asked;

I’m still not married.

I still haven’t had the procedure.