Choosing to get your tubes tied is a big decision for a woman and one that she’s perfectly capable of making all on her own. However, not according to one male doctor, who told TikToker @bfeedingmomma that he wouldn’t perform the procedure despite the fact that giving birth to her second child nearly killed her. Why is that? Well, she wasn’t married and he didn’t believe women should be able to make that decision about their own bodies. Yes, really.
- Someone wanted to know the most sexist thing that had ever been said to a woman. Sarah-Jo Baskin responded with her story and it was truly horrifying, though not at all surprising at this point. This male doctor legitimately told her she was unable to make her own choices about having any future children and that she needed not just a man but a husband to do it for her.
- The birth of her second child had been traumatic. Sarah-Jo was 27 when she had her second child, a little boy, and she’s lucky to have escaped with both of their lives. “Mine has got to be when I was 27 years old. I had just had my second child and I was talking to the doctor about getting my tubes tied because at that point I did not want any more children,” she said in the video. “The labor and delivery almost killed me and my son, so I was like, Nope, don’t want any more.” Totally understandable (not that she needed to explain it in the first place).
- The doctor outright refused. Despite knowing Sarah-Jo’s history, he refused to tie her tubes. When she asked why, he told her it was because she wasn’t married. She asked what that had to do with anything, at which point he told her that he believes “it’s best that a man and a woman make that decision together.” He doubled down on that sentiment, adding: “I don’t think you should make that decision on your own.” Yikes!
- Sarah-Jo challenged him again. “What does that have to do with anything? This is my body and I want to have my tubes tied,” she said to him. In response, he said: “I’m not tying your tubes, I do not think a woman should make that decision.” It’s unclear if Sarah-Jo sought a second opinion or reported that a-hole to the relevant authorities, but here’s hoping he’s no longer her doctor (or any other woman’s).
