Ep. 32 - "I'm not vulnerable any more." | Katherine DiPaulo on Alleged Sexual Assault During Labor

Birth Allowed Radio

**TW: Alleged Sexual Assault and Birth Assault** This is Katherine DiPaulo's story. She alleges she was sexually assaulted by an obstetrician at a Philadelphia-area hospital in 2005. She has not been able to hold him accountable. Ms. DiPaulo would like to connect with other victims. If you have experienced sexual assault in your obstetric care in the Philadelphia area, please get in touch with us at [e-mail] or complete this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1SURd8e1KBVdm4vcG47Xab-FwKnqUCXO8tbJeqaWB1_k. Your privacy will be respected to the fullest. > In her words: Had I angered him, it could have been a lot worse. I was doing what I had to do to protect my baby and myself. But I still have a lot of guilt and shame and anger at myself for not stopping it, not doing something. But my body was frozen and in shock. I repressed what happened although it never left me. I started to have chronic insomnia, ... panic attacks, anxiety and depression, difficulty in my marriage. I have flashbacks all the time of this person. I have flashbacks of the event itself. I'm hyper vigilant. I'm scared I'm going to run into him in the grocery store. To be honest, I think if I do see him, I'm going to tell him off, because I'm no longer in that vulnerable position, being in labor and hooked up to all of these IVs and monitors. So, I'm not vulnerable any more, so there's a part of me that still has the strength that if I do see him, I'm going to tell him off. At this point, I'm so furious about it and just want to put it out there so other women can prevent something like this from happening to them. > Related episode: "'I found my voice and I'm not stopping' | Sexually Assaulted by Her OB, Marissa Hoechstetter Fights Back": https://birthmonopoly.com/episode-29/ > Know Your Rights: Legal and Human Rights in Childbirth for Birth Professionals and Advocates: https://birthmonopoly.com/know-your-rights-course/