[KS] gynocologists

[Henny Savenije]

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At 04:10 AM 8/30/00, Jason Parker wrote:

>Dear Mike,
>
> From our own "superior" Western Medical worldview (I stress the term 
> worldview), it would seem inappropriate for Korean medical practitioners 
> to restrain women during child birth. I do not disagree that such a 
> practice may be undignified, based on our own standards. But the 
> statement "Who said that Koreans are very fond of children and value 
> mothers?" is undeniably ethnocentric, especially when viewed in light of 
> the evidence put forward by Henny who includes all Koreans when making 
> such an assertion. I will however give Henny the benefit of the doubt 
> (something I should have stated in my original post) in that I do not 
> think he meant everything his words said.


Well, as I said in my earlier post it was my Korean wife who uttered those 
sentences and added them, I thought in that case they were appropriate, 
since in case I would write it, it would be partially ethnocentric.


>Personally, I feel that the "great" Western Medical profession in the 
>United States strips women of dignity and robs them of their autonomy at 
>every instance of gestation. It treats childbirth as a medical procedure 
>and not a natural process; using fear of the uncertainty of complications 
>and birth defects that are statistically rare as the motivation to allow 
>doctors to make life choices for them. (PLEASE, I caution you not to infer 
>that I believe that all doctors are "evil-white-devils" or that I broaden 
>this view to whatever small point some may want to recontextualize my 
>words for, because I do not. My commentary is meant for Western medicine 
>as an institution.)


I think in Holland the whole process is done as natural as possible, the 
father is present, even in case there are complications (operation) the 
father is present as well.


>Besides, there are Native South American societies that require women to 
>give birth while squatting and afterwards continue their daily domestic 
>cycle - I suppose those women do not value mothers or are not fond of 
>children.


Actually a lot of women in Holland do the same, following the Turkish 
example, and quite a lot of women do feel capable of doing their daily 
things again. It seems to be one of the easiest way of giving birth. 
Midwives even carry a special stool with them in case women want this 
procedure. I do not know of any society requiring their women to go to work 
after the delivery, but I do know of African societies were it's done, as 
is said, by their own choice.

In any case I am just a worried father to be, who wants the best for his wife
-----------------------------
Henny  (Lee Hae Kang)

Feel free to visit
http://www.henny-savenije.demon.nl
and feel the thrill of Hamel discovering Korea (1653-1666)
In Korean
http://www.henny-savenije.demon.nl/indexk2.htm