The Hidden History of Obstetric Violence: How Modern Gynecology Was Built on the Backs of Black Women

Obstetric violence isn’t just a problem of the modern era. It has deep roots in a history built on control, exploitation, and the systemic mistreatment of women—especially Black women. If we don’t understand how we got here, we can’t make informed decisions about whether we want to keep participating in a system that was never designed for us in the first place.

J. Marion Sims: The Truth About the “Father of Gynecology”

Dr. J. Marion Sims is often credited as the “father of modern gynecology.” His name is still in medical textbooks. His techniques are still used today. But the reality of how he made those so-called “advancements” is disturbing.

Between 1845 and 1849, Sims performed experimental surgeries on enslaved Black women without anesthesia, without consent, and without any regard for their pain. He believed Black people didn’t feel pain the way white people did—a racist, false narrative that still impacts medical treatment today.

One woman, Anarcha, endured at least 30 surgeries while Sims tried (and failed, over and over again) to perfect his fistula repair technique. Another woman, Lucy, nearly died from sepsis after Sims forced an experimental procedure on her while she was on her hands and knees, fully awake.

These women—Anarcha, Lucy, Betsey, and countless others—weren’t patients. They were test subjects. Sims built his reputation, his career, and his legacy on their suffering.

Not only did he enslave this women as test subjects, they also worked in his home, and then in his future practice.

Robert Thom’s oil painting J. Marion Sims: Gynecologic Surgeon, from “The History of Medicine” circa 1952 helps us unpack this.

“The illustration reproduces a racist, medical gaze, as it prompts the observer to join the ranks of other visiting surgeons who ogle Lucy as a medical object of curiosity. Through proper contextualization and careful visual study, we might challenge this supposed “great moment in medicine” and consider the contradictions of “scientific achievement” and the entanglements of violence, slavery, and medicine.” -umma

How This History Still Shapes Medical Care Today

Modern medicine wants us to celebrate the speculum and the practice of gynaecology as Sims’ contribution, but I see his contribution as the continued coercive control of women throughout all women’s health care, but especially for BIPOC.

 • Black women in the U.S. are nearly three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women.

 • Women’s pain is still dismissed, downplayed, or outright ignored in medical settings.

 • Standard gynecological tools—like the speculum—haven’t been meaningfully redesigned in over 150 years.

None of this is accidental. This is what happens when a system is built on control, not care.

Why This Matters

Knowing this history isn’t just about awareness. It’s about choice. When we understand where modern obstetric and gynecological care comes from, we can ask ourselves:

 • Do I trust the standard practices I’ve been told are “normal”?

 • Do these practices align with my values?

 • Am I willing to keep participating in a system designed this way?

When enough of us step away—when we seek care that respects us, demand real informed consent, and refuse to accept outdated, harmful medical practices—that’s when things change.

There is strength in numbers. Systems don’t just change on their own. People change them by refusing to accept the way things have always been.

When we know better, we do better. And that’s how we end this cycle—for good.