> What is the rush to give it?  ...  It is unethical to treat
> when the patient cannot give informed consent.

Dear Dr. Jack,
I'm afraid it's worse than unethical.  I'm afraid it is a prejudice of a
much deeper sort that has become pervasive in the U.S.

Nurses from around the state of Texas have been telling me that "some"
patients are routinely given Depo Provera immediately pospartum. These
are only those women that the doctors don't trust to come back for their
6 week checkup.  Hence, women from the higher income levels do not
receive the depo provera immediately postpartum - they are trusted to
make their appointments.

It is the women from the lower income levels, those on Medicaid,
undocumented, or non-english speaking women, who are not trusted to
return for birth control, that are given the depo provera before they
leave the hospital.

It bothers me.  It bothers me a lot.  This is a forced control and
violation of women's bodies that, in other situations, would be called
rape.
--
Jeanne Mitchell, RN, IBCLC, Austin, TX
"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle."
Plato  http://www.flash.net/~xanth/home.htm
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