Not guilty verdict in FGM case - what do we think?

When I heard about this prosecution I thought " hooray" we are finally taking action but then when I read the full details I was pretty shocked that this Doctor was even charged.
If he had been a white female born here in England I doubt it would have happened.

Penises are routinely mutilated by doctors and by various types of folk practitioners and it seems not even to be considered unlawful. Even when it leads to death.

Apparently at the hospital concerned there is a specialist clinic for people IDENTIFIED to be pregnant with FGM allowing for considered treatment before and after childbirth. IIUC that includes, if the woman so chooses, being restored to her infibulated state. And why should it not?

But this doctor had not worked in that clinic and apparently had never even seen an infibulation/FGM before he was called to treat that woman.

He seems nonetheless to have produced a healthy child and mother despite bleeding and an urgent call to a yet greater urgency.

The man should have been praised not prosecuted. Nothing he did stopped her having further treatment.

"If he had damaged a penis he would have gone to jail."

I'm not sure if this was what you meant but I do think there is a subtle element of 'women's bodies are confusing' at play here- fwiw I don't think it's the doctor espousing that, I couldn't even say where it's coming from. I think the idea of 'restoring to normal' would be seen as 'clearer' if it involved a penis.

However, we don't know exactly the condition the woman was in and I do think that in THIS case it may genuinely have been unclear what the best way was to proceed. I also don't necessarily think it counts as damage- again haven't seen this specifically stated (but I feel like we would've if it was the case) but I haven't had the impression that the stitch he made left her genitals in a 'worse' state than when she arrived at the hospital or caused her any future issues.

I believe genital mutilation so be made illegal unless for medical reasons for both females and males.

Most women who tear or are cut during delivery want any repair work done to make their genitals 'normal' again. If a woman presents with fgm in labour and cuts or tears and post delivery wants to be repaired to her 'normal' what should happen.?

It's depressing that this is the only UK trial. FGM has been illegal since 1984.

I see this is breaking news.

Woman arrested at Heathrow for conspiracy to commit FGM

gu.com/p/45ta8

Oh i've just found an article saying he was cleared.

What was the verdict on the other person that was accused? I can't see any mention of the other person in the articles i've read.

I feel sorry for him. She seems to have been let down at much earlier stages by inadequate note taking/ sharing of information and he bore the brunt of it in an emergency.

Because the stitch was put in to control bleeding, which was successful, so it was best to leave it

I don't understand why given he seems to have discussed it almost immediately with a senior colleague why the decision was made to leave her as she was. Was that explained to her?

3littlefrogs - that's exactly the problem isn't it - threats of disciplinary action and the culture of complaints is harming doctors and nurses health and patient care - it's ridiculous!

FOGH - sorry if I misinterpreted what you wrote -
However it's still the case that he didn't damage her, he said with hindsight and better training he would have treated her differently, but he did his best in difficult circumstances and flagged up his concerns very soon after - he didn't leave her in pain or bleeding out,,and she was able to deliver another baby without further intervention

I agree kundry.

The real scandal is that doctors and nurses/midwives are dealing with a very difficult and stressful work load all the time. The same people who control staffing and resources are holding the threat of disciplinary action over our heads if we do not perform perfectly in spite of under staffing and underfunding.

I am so glad I don't work in obstetrics any more.

*and yes, I think that is a feminist issue.

"There is a 10% mortality of doctors being investigated by the GMC"

Fuckoffgroundhog - it's not a feminist issue - he wasn't found innocent because he was a man

I don't think he was found not guilty because he was a man, and I never said that at all. I think society accepts crap care for women as standard ESPECIALLY with obstetrics.

There has just been a paper published in the BMJ open about exactly this which hopefully will prompt change in policy
bmjopen.bmj.com/content/5/1/e006687.abstract
It is shocking that doctors are presumed guilty until proved innocent

Kundry - you are absolutely right - the experience of a GMC investigation both causes harm to doctors and indirectly causes harm to patients as doctors then practise defensive or hedging medicine - neither in the patients best interests

It is not legitimate for the GMC to have a look but it won't stop them. Every doctor has done something not perfect, reflected, learned and become a better doctor. It doesn't need the GMC, it's a normal part of medicine.

There is a 10% mortality of doctors being investigated by the GMC. That the experience of a GMC investigation is actually making doctors kill themselves should be a national scandal.

". If he had damaged a penis he would have gone to jail."

I don't think that's true, FOGH.

No, the doctor was prosecuted for allegedly reinstating her FGM,,and found innocent - he now has to face an investigation by the GMC, so his suffering will continue. He is being fully supported by the RCOG, whose president wrote a letter to all the fellows and members today - part of which said

"Unfortunately that isn’t the end of the story for Dr Dharmasena who will now be investigated by the General Medical Council, with different procedures and degrees of proof. However, this is not just about one junior doctor, obstetricians and midwives face similar scenarios daily and have now to manage the clinical complexities caused by FGM wondering if they will be the next to be accused of offences against women they are trying to help.

Dr Dhanuson Dharmasena is innocent. In an emergency situation, having never met the pregnant women, he acted to save the life of a baby. In the heat of the moment some of his clinical decisions may, with hindsight, be regarded as wrong choices. But that’s what happens in medicine. We try our best in very difficult circumstances and sometimes we don’t get it right. But obstetricians – indeed all clinical staff – must be able to exercise their clinical judgement to provide safe, high quality care for the women they serve without the shadow of prosecution."

Fuckoffgroundhog - it's not a feminist issue - he wasn't found innocent because he was a man, but because he didn't do anything wrong - he was NOT GUILTY of reinstating her FGM

I don't think she lied. She had undergone surgery to open her up, she gave an honest answer as she thought the work had been done. She might have refused to go to the FGM clinic but we don't know as she was never offered the ante-natal clinic.She has however given every impression that this was a much wanted baby and would have done whatever professionals suggested was safest.

He acted to the best of his abilities, then pretty much immediately flagged it to a senior doctor, he didn't try to hide what had happened and asked for advice and help - he shouldn't have been persecuted for what he did, he didn't reinstate her FGM, the woman didn't make a complaint, didn't want to be called as a witness and managed to deliver another baby vaginally within a year without the need for further surgery