It’s crucial to challenge harmful myths. One especially harmful one is the idea that Black individuals have higher pain thresholds.
This belief has deep roots and has led to horrifying injustices, like the surgical experiments performed by James Marion Sims, sometimes referred to as the “father of gynecology,” on enslaved women.
According to the Journal of the National Medical Association, Lucy, an enslaved 18-year-old, nearly lost her life after undergoing surgery performed by Sims in an attempt to address her postpartum urinary incontinence.
These women, who had no control over their own bodies, underwent surgeries without anesthesia, all because of this false notion.
For more of Cardinal & Pine’s special project on the Black maternal health crisis, click here.
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