Recently, Sarah Silverman shared how she felt violated after a male radiologist conducted her mammogram as well as ultrasound.
Silverman posted a photo of her chest via Instagram on Wednesday night paired with a long caption explaining the whole incident with her doctor.
The radiologist is the same man she had the year prior and went onto share why she dislikes him.
“He opened my gown and put gel on my breasts and smeared it around with his bare hands. Then he started talking to me about my chest X-ray (I also got a chest X-Ray) and was pontificating with my boobs just out and covered in gel and cold and finally I said “Hey-can we either talk about this when I’m dressed or WHILE your doing the ultrasound? I’m not comfortable with my breasts out just shooting the sh*t with you”
“Okay so — he smears the gel on with his hands and NO GLOVES on and when he glides the ultrasound wand thing over my breasts he drags his fingers on them and it f*****g bothers me.”
Silverman continued on, saying:
“Again, AS I TOLD HIM LAST YEAR, I said ‘Hey! Do you need to be touching me with your fingers’ He said ‘No’. And he pulled them off of me. Then he added ‘I do that for balance.’ I said ‘Well I believe in you and I think you can do with without your fingers on me.”’
Silverman stated how the post was not to accuse the doctor of sexual misconduct but to encourage other women to speak up when they feel uncomfortable.
“Look, I truly don’t think he was getting off on it, BUT it is his job to be aware that this is vulnerable for a woman. Wear f*****g GLOVES – this isn’t a date. For him to be so arrogant that he didn’t even internalize the problem when I said something to him about it last year is obnoxious and probably a subconscious power thing if we’re getting deep.”
Silverman went on to say that would be the last time a male would be conducting her visits.
“That was my last mammogram with this dude. Or any dude.
Look. I’m a grown woman and I’m fine. But this guy does this with everyone and I know that personally it took many years into adulthood before I spoke up for myself. It’s uncomfortable and too easy to think it’s all in your head. And arrogant f***s like this doctor take advantage of women’s socialized instinct to not speak up.”
She signed off, telling others to not be afraid to stand up for anything that makes them feel uncomfortable.
“All this to say speak up. Trust that thing in your gut that tells you this sh*t ain’t right.”
Commenters were quick to support Silverman, with one user sharing how she was completely in the right as what the doctor did was against protocol.
“I have been a sonographer (ultrasound tech) for 20 years and have NEVER seen the gel applied by hand! That is NOT right!! It is squeezed out of the gel bottle and spread by the transducer (camera). We also wear gloves; an ultrasound is not a breast examination that requires palpation with bare hands. And, we only expose what’s necessary WHEN IT’s necessary, and no longer. The exam was completely inappropriate. My jaw, as well as those of my co-workers, dropped when I told them what happened to you. You’re right to feel upset “
NOW WATCH: Sweden Actually Turns It’s Garbage Into Energy | Save The World