J. Marion Sims was a cruel villain, and it is insulting to consider him the “father of gynecology.” What Sims did was not medical practice; it was twisted experimentation with no regard for human life. “Father” in general is a word that carries positive connotation and to refer to Sims in this light is very misleading as to who this person really was. He even has a statue erected in his “honor,” but this doesn’t make sense. I man who would do such cruel things to another human life deserves no recognition for honor or accomplishment. I think that medical innovations and gynecological practices could have come about in a much more humane way. Sims being held in such high regards is disrespectful to the women he violated. Those women’s’ lives were sacrificed for the “sake of medicine” yet their identities are lost in history. I think it is important for the truth to be known about Sims, and although he may have helped kick start gynecology his actions should strip him of any recognition he received. The women who were experimented on are the true heroes, in that they endured so much and they are who we can learn from.

Allison Brady