"Lovell is a small town in Wyoming whose population is about 50% Mormon. Mormon women are traditionally expected to serve men unquestioningly and are raised according to the Mormon's strict taboo on sex education.

"Dr. John Story established his medical practice in Lovell in 1958 and for twenty-five years was able to molest hundreds of these incredibly naive Mormon women by conducting prolonged pelvic examinations for insignificant sinus infections and headaches. The examinations were customarily followed with sexual intercourse. Many of the women, having a deep feeling of respect and awe for the doctor, did not realize what was happening to them and did not resist...."
http://www.mysterycrimescene.com/doc.html

I just came across this. Anyone ever hear anything about this?

My HS bf gave me that book to read when I was a senior in HS. I was throughly disgusted with how the vicitms were treated after they came forward against the predator. It's actually one of the many things that started to get me thinking about TSCC.

I recommend it, but it is very sad and graphic in some places. The doctor abused females from ages 9-80, I believe.

"Doc" is a "true crime" story. Many of the victims were Mormon women, but the perpetrator was not Mormon. I read the book years ago.

I forgot to add that about the doctor.

I am re-reading the book "Doc" and am again so amazed that a person of such evil could get away with treating women so badly for such a long time. His behavior was so obvious, but the women were so naive that they did not recognize it for what it was which was rape and sexual abuse. He was allowed to continue doing this for many many years before some brave women stood up and would not tolerate it any longer.

Why Can't ChurchCo come out Plainly & say that ALL cases of (suspected) abuse should be reported to authorities?

(As I said earlier) There should also be STRONG laws & enforcement against False Reporting...

Years later, in Fairfield, CA, the same thing happened with Dr. John Parkinson. Fondled patients plus gave therapy WAY out of his range of expertise (including treating cancer with chemotherapy---he was an obstetrician and was not trained in medical oncology---i.e. he would be qualified to do a hysterectomy, but not trained/qualified to manage medical therapy such as chemotherapy). He had been a bishop and a member of the stake presidency, so many many victims were afraid to report him. Fairfield is not predominantly LDS but has a higher LDS % than the state average.

Here's the 1998 story, still online:

http://www.sfweekly.com/content/printVersion/307728/

FYI he was convicted and sent to jail. Even at the trial, there were members of the stake present to show support for this monster. He was later (2003) released due to juror bias and misconduct (which doesn't mean he was innocent of charges).

In the photo below, his Celestial Smile is clearly visible....but this courtroom tactic doesn't work outside the Morridor!!

http://articles.sfgate.com/2003-06-19/bay-area/17497022_1_medical-license-juror-state-court



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/02/2011 01:35PM by PtLoma.

The Collins women were in my ward during this time. They were a very prominent and well respected family in the ward. My husband and I had just recently moved into the area and so I wasn't all that familiar with the people involved at the time, but I remember all the whispers and rumors going around at the time.

I tended to be a rather "keep to myself" kind of person and wasn't much in the know regarding all the gossip, but when I heard the whole story and knew the women involved, (as well as a couple of the others mentioned in this article) it was pretty eye-opening! I remember people talking about a big riff between the Collins women and the Rasmussen women, who also attended our ward briefly while I was there.

I still to this day am in utter disbelief of how these women could possibly be so naive and trusting.

Dr. Withers molested dozens of women in Rexburg, Idaho:

http://www.childpro.org/ldsmedia%201994-1996/ldsmedia%201994-96%2002.htm

"Withers was sentenced Monday to 30 days in jail, two years supervised probation, 10 hours a week of community service for two years, and fined $15,500, in lieu of a suspended four-month jail term."

The LDS Church didn't seem to be too broken up about it:

http://www.childpro.org/ldsmedia%201994-1996/ldsmedia%201994-96%2003.htm

On a personal note, the article mentions Farrell Young as his Stake President at the time:

"Farrell Young, president of the Rexburg East Stake, in which Withers' Sixth Ward is located, defended the church's policy of confidentiality.
'That is a private matter between him and his church,' he said."

I once had to confess that I masturbated to President Young. He made me promise that I would never do it again (oooh sorry Prez. I might have broken that one!). I wonder if he made the good doctor promise the same thing? Or was Withers one of Young's good ole boy buddies who got a "don't ask don't tell" free pass till he got caught? Just saying....

The Utah County fertility specialist who didn't molest women but did raise up seed to the Lord...

Sorry, I need to make jokes on this subject or I'll start yelling...

I read the book years ago and two things have remained with me ever since:

1) The overwhelming, incredible...the literally UNBELIEVABLE naivete of many or most of the women who were victims. Some of these women were full adults, who had lived full adult Mormon women lives (they were mothers, etc.), and they had NO IDEA what was going on--even though it was going on repeatedly with individual women, doctor appointment to doctor appointment. Of the others who realized, or may have realized, what was going on, they felt so unbelievably powerless (or they were so scared of the possible consequences in their community) that they continued the "doctor appointments" after they became aware. Maybe there just wasn't an alternative doctor they could go to, I don't know. I just remember being so incredulous that all of these women would dutifully show up for their various doctor appointments and they never (evidently) said anything to anyone (who could have helped).

2) The psychological/emotional brutality of at least some of the husbands when all of this came out. The women married to these husbands (which definitely included some of the most naive of the women) were divorced involuntarily and their lives were further destroyed, and the root cause was that they were "good girls" (and I use the word "girls" with full awareness; I'm talking about less-than-fully-adult women, regardless of their chronological ages) who did what they were told, and that included being raped on a regular schedule with regular "doctor appointments." And the husbands of these rape victims came out just fine. I'm sure they all remarried promptly and went on to live wonderful lives by their own definitions.

I still think about the women victims to this day. They were betrayed by everything they held dear, including their spouses, their church, their families, and their community. And they were betrayed because they were doing their very best to be obedient "good girls."



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/02/2011 03:55PM by tevai.

It isn't uncommon for people who are sexually abused to block out/minimize/deny the abuse until it is psychologically safe for them to do so (so for a mormon woman that means never). Elizabeth Smart going along with her captor's plans and defending him when the cops picked her up is the rule rather than the exception. Most people totally freeze up or comply when someone tries to rape them. For a mormon woman who is supposed to prefer being killed over being sexually violated, what options were there really? It was probably easier to pretend like nothing had happened. If they did say something they would have to worry about how to explain why they weren't dead from fighting back, or how they knew more about what the doctor does than a doctor would, etc...

Gosh, you know what else? A shit load of TBM women I know *never* touch their vaginas anyway, so all gynecological activity could be a mystery to them. One girl I knew who was in college needed a pad but could only obtain tampons. Everyone reassured her that she would be just fine, how to use a tampon, etc but she PASSED OUT COLD in the bathroom because the thought of it freaked her out so badly. Who knows what it is like for her to get a gyn exam.

His authority combined with the cultural taboos made for an easy way to get away with rape, regardless of if the victims were really aware of what was going on or not.

Here's the part of the book that really got me: Many of these women had a bishop who taught that modesty was a thing to be protected at all costs, so he instructed them to toilet-train their toddlers by sending the child into the bathroom alone, closing the door, and giving the child instructions on what to do--through the closed door! And they DID it, because it's what their bishop told them to do.

So no wonder they were able to go along with a creepy doctor who used his johnson as a speculum.

Well, we don't all have someone to go with us. I pick female doctors whenever possible for this reason. I know that some women still sexually abuse people, but its like more than 99% men that do this kind of crap, so it is a risk reduction if nothing else.

All these cases are a good reason to never let your children or even yourself, be alone with a doctor. The was a pediatrician on the east coast, I think, that recently was charged with hundreds of molestions over years!!! The mothers thought nothing of leaving their children alone in a room with him.
http://www.aolnews.com/2010/02/23/prosecutors-say-pediatrician-molested-103-children/

I had a doctor, when I was 16, do something very inappropiate to me. My usual family doctor was on vacation and I needed a physical before girls camp. The sub doc asked me to lie down so he was going to check my pulse. I figured he wanted to check my resting pulse or something like that and he put his hand down my pants, then pressed his fingers between my pelvic area and thigh! There was NO nurse in the room and this was in 1995.

I was so shocked, I didn't say anything till I got home to my mom and told her what happened. She was furious, to say the least, and called the office to rip them a new one. The doctor excused himself by saying "sometimes thats the best place to find a pulse." I call bullshit.

People need to teach their children that it's ok to say no to being touched from ANYONE!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/02/2011 04:43PM by itzpapalotl.

That location would be your femoral pulse. It's not, apparently, all that uncommon. But he should have told you what he was going to do and why. Bet the twit never made that mistake again.

http://www.mademan.com/mm/how-check-pulse-groin.html
http://www.madsci.org/experiments/archive/857361537.Bi.html



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/02/2011 06:06PM by matt.

I understand it's an easy place to find the pulse, but I still find it highly inappropiate for a doctor to do it without 1.asking my permission 2. no nurse in the room 3. you can find my pulse just as easy on the neck. 4. He wasn't my normal doctor

It was also the first and ONLY time I have ever had a doctor take my pulse that way, so it gave me the heebie-jeebies.

He was an unlikeable guy- He thought I was crazy another time (before this incident) because I came in and told him I had strep throat. His condescending manner was, "Well, we'll just see about that!" and lo and behold, it turned out to be strep throat.

I have an intense distrust for doctors because of so many bad experiences, so maybe I'm just being prejudiced.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/02/2011 06:21PM by itzpapalotl.

I had a doctor like that. In fact, he was worse. He would have told you that you DIDN'T have a strep throat. Crazy. In the end, I cottoned on to the idea that he did not want you to tell him what you had. YOU had to play daft, say you had no idea what the problem was, and let him tell you what you already knew! ;o))

I thought that knowing about your body and symptoms os illness made it easier on the doctor. Afterall, in the US, we get MAYBE, 15 minutes with the doctor if we're lucky.
I think educating yourself on how your body works and common illnesses is one of the best things to help yourself, especially if you have recurring illnesses and symptoms. It can also cut down on doctor visits if you can treat minor illnesses/injuries, but what do I know?

Apart from that quirk, he was a fantastic doctor. He had a career at Guys Hospital, London, as a senior surgeon. But his dad asked him to return to his small country practice, which he did, giving up his lucrative career to do so. The surgeons at the local hospitals were somewhat in awe of him.

We check femoral pulses in OLDER patients as signs of atherosclerosis. For example, a 60 year old man complains of leg cramps. He has high cholesterol and smokes. Yes, you would check femoral pulses and listen for a bruit (whooshing sound) with a stethoscope. A 75 year old is scheduled to have a total knee replacement. Yes, you check femoral pulses to assure good circulation to that knee BEFORE the surgery.

In a sixteen year old girl, it would be inappropriate EVER to check a femoral pulse, with an exception being someone who's just been in a major trauma accident who is headed to the Operating Room for repairs. For a normal physical exam in a well patient, radial (wrist) pulse is fine. Sometimes, in a young patient with low blood pressure, the radial pulse may be difficult to feel. In such cases, one can use a stethoscope over the heart to count the pulse.

I've not read the book so excuse my ignorance, but how do grown women not realize something is wrong here? They aren't young virgin girls for heaven's sake! I know what is/isn't normal in a dr relationship compared to a spousal relationship. I just in utter disbelief that grown adult women wouldn't stop going to this doctor.

If you get the chance, read the book and you will understand how some of these women were set up from childhood to be victims.
I know it's hard to believe that a grown woman could not know what's going on, but it does happen in sexually naive cultures.

Maybe not going would mean admitting something was wrong, and they couldn't admit it to themselves at that point in time. Maybe it was a lot easier to pretend everything was really okay, after all.

Maybe they thought they imagined it since no one else talked about the abuse and he had so many other patients, and it would be such a shame to get a good doctor in trouble for something you just imagined, right? She might have thought that she just misunderstood something about the contents of the procedure, being a silly woman and not a doctor. That had to be it.

.......

The popular conception of a rape victim is bogus as hell. Read The Courage To Heal to see the kind of weird stuff that happens in the mind when sexual abuse enters the picture.

I had a friend in high school who said she was "never sexually abused, though there was this one time that these guys held her down in a park and made her give them oral sex. But that isn't like rape or anything, right? It isn't as serious as rape." She said it with a straight face. I think that women know how they will be received when they talk about the abuse too, and that it makes it easier to just go into denial or rationalize what happened instead of dealing with it. The women who came forward got treated horribly for it.

I read the book and also knew people in the town of Lovell, Wyoming. This was going on while I was there. I remember there was a lot of talk and rumors going on then. The town is very small and was divided by religion even then. Of course the mormons were the majority. The leaders of the mormons knew about the abuse and did nothing but tell women not to go back when they told the bishop. The former doctor that John Story replaced was also ran out of town,, for molesting young boys.

The thread topic and the mention of Fairfield, Ca by PtLoma reminded me of another LDS practitioner from the state:

Dr. Mark K. Anderson, DDS (Woodland, Ca)


"A dentist accused of fondling the breasts of 27 female patients is trying to keep his dental license by arguing that chest massages are an appropriate procedure in certain cases. Mark Anderson's lawyer says dental journals discuss the need to massage the pectoral muscles to treat a common jaw problem."


(article)
http://palominas.blogspot.com/2007/10/and-now-for-something-completely.html

(reader's comments)
http://www.topix.com/forum/business/dental/TVCNGHUM5QPG0OODV


another article + comments:

http://pysih.com/2007/10/16/dr-mark-k-anderson/



Sentenced to 6 years in the slammer:
http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=58328

Deep breath. I can tell you how this happens because it happened to me when I was over, married twice and had children, so I was not young, raised Mormon or conditioned not to touch my vagina.

I went to an ob-gyn for early pregnancy and he told me he wanted to check my Kegle muscles. He inserted his finger in my vagina and asked my to squeeze. He said one side was "weak" and asked me to repeat and squeeze again. This went on for all my regular visits. I did not realize he was molesting me until the birth, when he began stroking my pubic area in a sexual way to "relax" me.

I felt ashamed that I had not caught on to him and have never told anybody about this. I was going to report him years ago, but found out he had died. He was in California and his name was Marchbanks. Sorry if naming names upsets anyone but I do not believe in sheltering perverts. I'm sure I wasn't the only one he molested.

Anagrammy

Thank you, in this scenario I can see why it wouldn't immediately be seen for what it was.

I am so sorry that happened to you, annagrammy. Scummy doctor took advantage of your relationship to him as a patient. Sick.

Poster Kymba reported to us about it firsthand and the incidents were reported in the news with mormon women supporting this guy saying he was wonderful.

Kymba went to him for a thyroid problem and he told her he needed to do a pelvic exam to check thyroid hormone levels. She told him no, that her thyroid was in the throat area and she needed blood tests to diagnose hormones accurately.

Turns out that the guy did way too many pelvic exams no matter the complaint.

Amazing. Totally inappropriate.