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Race, class, caste, disability, sterilisation and hysterectomy
1School of Humanities and Communication Arts, Western Sydney University, Penrith South, New South Wales, Australia alison.moore@westernsydney.edu.au.
Medical Humanities
|August 10, 2022
Summary
Surgical hysterectomy, used globally for population control, disproportionately affects marginalized groups, perpetuating healthcare inequalities. This historical analysis critiques current practices and their roots in historical sterilization.
Area of Science:
- Global Health History
- Medical Sociology
- Feminist Studies
Background:
- Surgical hysterectomy has been historically employed for population control and sterilization globally.
- This practice has disproportionately impacted marginalized populations based on race, class, disability, and caste.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically examine the historical and current global phenomenon of surgical hysterectomy.
- To analyze the diverse rationales behind radical gynecological surgeries as sterilization methods.
- To investigate the persistent healthcare inequalities linked to hysterectomy practices.
Main Methods:
- Interdisciplinary historical inquiry utilizing global and intercultural history methodologies.
- Critique of current clinical practices informed by feminist, race, biopolitical, and disability studies.
- Engagement with scholarship in health sociology and medical anthropology on gender and healthcare inequalities.
Main Results:
- A survey of medical, social-scientific, and humanistic research reveals significant racial, class, disability, and caste inequalities in hysterectomy proliferation.
- Radical gynecological surgeries have historically served various purposes, including sterilization, often targeting disadvantaged groups.
- Current practices are informed by this history, contributing to ongoing global healthcare disparities.
Conclusions:
- The historical use of hysterectomy for sterilization has created a legacy of healthcare inequality.
- Current clinical practices require critical re-evaluation in light of their disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations.
- Addressing these inequalities necessitates understanding the intersection of gender, race, class, disability, and healthcare access.
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