An 18-year-old in Baltimore, Maryland, raised alarms over her experience with a pediatrician whom she accused of “creepy behavior.” After telling the mother to leave, the male doctor had allegedly inappropriately touched her and even made a very unprofessional comment about her private life. Deeply uncomfortable with this interaction, the teen girl shared her experience at the appointment on r/AITAH, where hundreds expressed shock over the pediatrician’s actions.
Under the username musty_ranch, the 18-year-old claimed her doctor had moved his chair uncomfortably close to her, staring at her with “vulture eyes.” She felt bothered by his low, breathy speech and the way he rested his hand on her knee. But it wasn’t until he made a very inappropriate joke that she dashed out of the examination room.
While explaining her scoliosis pain, the teen brought up how her right arm is stronger than her left due to left-arm pain. “THEN, HE ASKED ME “so you m@sturbate with that hand?” He kind of held my right wrist and placed his other hand on my bare thigh and gave me that look I’ve seen before, and I stood up immediately,” she recalled.
She told the people at the front desk that she felt uncomfortable before leaving with her mom. “Was this a normal professional interaction or am I literally losing my mind?” musty_ranch asked Reddit, and based on what people said in the comments, this was indeed not a normal pediatrician examination.
Based on People’s Reactions, There Was No Question Whether the Doctor’s Behavior Was Acceptable
One person suggested she report the doctor to the clinic. “It’s an absolute red flag that he dismissed OPs mom and didn’t have a nurse come in to chaperone,” they wrote. “When the doc is a male there should always be a nurse or MA. As much for his protection as the patients,” agreed another.
Dozens of others echoed the fact that someone should have been present with her in the examination room. Oddly enough, she responded, saying, “I don’t think I’ve ever had a nurse in the room with me.”
Not having a chaperone present was one concern, but many people were justly disgusted by his comment on her ‘stronger arm.’ “There’s not a single reason that man needed to ask you that question,” added a third. “There are many creepy doctors out there,” remarked a fourth.
Professionals in positions of authority making lewd comments have generally been deemed unacceptable, followed by hefty backlash. Another example would be a Tennessee school board member calling a female high school student “hot” during an official meeting.
While any inappropriate behavior is seen as unacceptable, stories like this teen’s and her pediatrician do strengthen some people’s negative stigma of men. As one commenter wrote, “I’m not at all surprised by this story. I believe her, it’s not uncommon, men are creeps.”
