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As many mothers know, giving birth is no easy task. But add a surprise exam, where the doctor forcibly examines the new mom with scissors, forceps, fingers and more without consent — and the experience can become more than traumatic.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald

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and while it is not a new concept, there is a growing movement to draw attention to what some believe is happening in delivery rooms across the world.

Critics who blast the idea that this is considered violence against women say the doctor is acting in the best interest of the patient, doing what is necessary to ensure the mother can return home healthy.

But others believe the exhaustion after childbirth makes it difficult for the new mother to refuse the advances of the medical professional because they are uncomfortable.

, a Australian website dedicated to providing information about having a safe birth, refers to after-birth exams as callous and unsympathetic. They say it is appropriate to compare this practice to sexual rape because personal boundaries have been violated.

From the Herald

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Some women who claim to have experienced birth rape describe incidents where doctors or midwives made belittling and degrading comments when they could not birth fast enough, stitching lacerations without anaesthetic and inserting catheters without warning… In this most vulnerable of positions women are at the mercy of their doctor or midwife. They cannot remove themselves from the situation.