This article is also available in: Русский (Russian)
In recent years, a concerning trend has been emerging in Uzbekistan: the decline of professional qualifications among doctors. Instead of modern scientific approaches, outdated and archaic concepts with no medical basis are increasingly taking hold. What’s even more alarming is that these views are linked to prejudiced attitudes toward the gender and orientation of future children.
Recently, two cases surfaced on social media that shocked the public. Doctors claimed that a child could become gay because the mother was taking certain medications or even just thinking about wanting to give birth to a girl. These absurd statements shocked many and became a vivid example of how far some doctors with “caveman” beliefs can stray from real medicine.
Bloggers Ali Kakhkhor and Jumagul were the first to draw attention to this issue.
One such case was shared by a young pregnant woman from Tashkent. In the spring of this year, she registered for prenatal care at one of the polyclinics in the Yunusabad district. Due to the threat of premature birth, she was also under observation by a doctor of the highest category in another hospital. As part of the pregnancy preservation treatment, she was prescribed the drug “Utrogestan” and had a pessary fitted.
However, her local gynecologist at the clinic made a completely unexpected and highly unprofessional statement.
“She said that during the pregnancy of a boy and the use of ‘Utrogestan,’ there is a high risk of giving birth to a child with a non-traditional orientation,” the woman noted.
At the end of August, when she returned for her exchange card, the gynecologist continued on the same topic, repeating that hormonal medications could influence the orientation of the future baby. This not only shocked the patient but also prompted her to file a verbal complaint with the clinic’s head doctor. It turned out that the gynecologist had been giving similar “advice” to other pregnant women, including a young kelin (daughter-in-law), who was the patient’s neighbor.
This case raises serious questions: why would a doctor, whose job is to provide professional support to expectant mothers, scare them with unfounded theories? Why is a local gynecologist casting doubt on the health and future of children without relying on real data?
Another incident involves a video of a conversation between a cardiologist and a gynecologist that circulated on social media. In the video, one of the doctors claims that gay people are born because mothers, during pregnancy with a boy, dream of having a girl.
In such situations, it is crucial for the Ministry of Health to intervene. These statements not only discredit the medical profession but also undermine patients’ trust in the healthcare system as a whole. Pregnant women, especially in a state of increased vulnerability, should receive qualified and evidence-based care, not be frightened by biased and outdated views of doctors.
The Ministry of Health must address this issue and conduct an investigation to prevent further spread of such false and dangerous claims.
The text has been translated by AI. For more accurate information, please refer to the Russian version of the article