First, Do No Harm
By Abigail Pesta, Women's Health INVESTIGATES: SEXUAL ASSAULT,
Dawn Marie Basham shifted on the crinkly exam-table paper and pulled her skirt up just high enough to expose the cyst on the side of her leg, about four inches above her right knee. It was April 2014, and her regular M.D. in Delray Beach, Florida, had referred her to the doctor she was about to see so he could drain the growth. When he came in, he tugged the fabric higher, tucking it tightly between her inner thighs from behind. That’s weird, she thought. But I guess that’s what they do.
The doctor finished the procedure, then sent the nurse out of the room for bandages. He began wiping Dawn Marie’s knee; she assumed he was cleaning up the iodine. As he calmly asked the then-39-year-old singer about her work, he started dabbing her inner thighs. Her upper thighs. Her buttocks. When Dawn Marie felt his finger penetrate her vagina through her underwear, she froze. “I remember thinking: No, this cannot be.”
But it was. And while the majority of physicians don’t abuse their patients, Dawn Marie’s alleged experience is far from rare. In a new survey of nearly 500 women conducted by Women’s Health and the anti–sexual violence group RAINN (the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network), 27 percent said . . .
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director
Showing 1 comment