By Laura Gartry
A Perth radiographer has been banned from practising for 18 months after admitting he pulled a woman’s underpants down without consent and spread her legs to expose her vagina.
Pei Ren Un was taken to the State Administrative Tribunal this month by the Medical Radiation Practice Board of Australia, which was seeking disciplinary action against him over the incident in October 2014.
Mr Un was employed at the Perth Radiological Clinic in Gosnells in 2014.
He admitted untying the patient’s robe and pulling her underwear down without her consent.
While she was on her back with her knees bent, Mr Un pushed her knees apart, exposing her vagina.
He also admitted responding to the woman’s efforts to cover herself with the robe with words to the effect of “Why bother, I have seen it all anyway”.
Mr Un was found to have committed professional misconduct by breaching professional boundaries and engaging in sexual misconduct.
He was also found to have failed to treat the patient with respect, informed consent and behaviour that warranted the trust of the community.
Mr Un was reprimanded and disqualified from applying for registration as a medical radiation practitioner for 18 months.
His registration as a medical radiation practitioner lapsed in December 2015.
Mr Un was also ordered to pay $1,800 in legal costs to the board.
This post originally appeared on ABC News.
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What a piece of sh*t this guy must be. In a profession where vaginal viewing / contact is expected (that'd be childbirth), you always, always gain permission and talk the woman through what you're doing.
Having said that, if I had a dollar for every time I saw a fellow midwife or doctor perform a vaginal exam without obtaining verbal consent, or when consent has been removed, I could go on a two month first class holiday to Fiji.
Seriously Zepgirl! That worries me. You've made a few comments relating to birthing and nursing so obviously you have experience in the field and it worries me that some people in this profession expect women to spread their legs without so much as a conversation or question about it. As someone who's expecting a baby in July, I find this quite concerning. I know my mum and sisters have all said that you check your dignity at the door and pick it up on the way out, but I never through professionals in those particular fields would think it appropriate to just go hell for leather without showing respect for people's privacy.
I'm really sorry I'm making you feel that way, and yes, I used to work as a midwife and I've seen some horrible sh*t. Here's the deal: stand up for your rights. You have every right to, in every way. Insist that permission is sought for everything that happens to you when you have your baby. No one has any right to touch you in any way without your permission whether you're in a hospital or out in the street. If they do, make a fuss. Maybe not in the moment, but afterwards, via written communication. I know that there are doctors, nurses and midwives who perform the same abhorrent action over and over and they get away with it because the women don't complain, and I wasn't brave enough to put in a complaint because it would put my newly found job on the line. The one time I did complain (anonymously), that midwife was made to change her practice, and other people began to observe her actions and saw how foul they were.
Speak up! Just because you go to a hospital (or birth centre or whatever) to have you baby does not mean that they own your body the minute you step in the door, and it does not mean that you have to consent to everything because they feel that they have rights over what happens to you. It's your and your baby. You know you the best, and you know your baby the best.
If you want to contact me privately, I'm sure we can manage to get in touch.