• Shirish S Sheth.
• Breach Candy Hospital and Research Centre and Sir Hurkisondas Narottamdas Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. silsal@bom2.vsnl.net.in
• Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 2003 Nov 1; 997: 1-10.

AbstractThe art of medicine provides a rare opportunity to understand human values and to contribute toward the well-being of one's fellow humans--women in the case of ob-gyn--a contribution that fits in with the mission of the International Federation of Gynaecology Obstetrics (FIGO). Obstetricians and gynecologists should indeed take it upon themselves to improve conditions for women, since the bond and respect between the two is a significant one. It is obstetricians-gynecologists who can provide the much needed technical information to throw light on justifying services that deal with devastating, debilitating, degenerating, and devaluating situations, such as neglected pregnancy, disregard toward cancer detection, and humiliating genital mutilation. Indeed, this can be termed as "terrorism in ob-gyn," neglected by those who should deal with it. Those in ob-gyn and other medical professions clearly witness gender inequality and its ugly aftermath, a degradation of women's reproductive rights. Ob-gyn must look a little beyond just the lucrative practice of the plain science of obstetrics and gynecology and undertake the responsibility to help and protect the health and life of women around the world. A conscientious doctor cannot practice medicine on women's bodies alone, but must also "practice" against several social evils, the prevention of which is crucial to women's health. Obstetricians and gynecologists can utilize their access to policymakers and health "builders" to carry this brief for women's health, and can urge governments to take a second look at women's rights to ensure that they are on par with the accepted norms of human rights, to be protected and propagated.

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