The following submission comes from Stephanie Purcell, who is part of a lawsuit against a local Utah doctor who is accused of taking advantage of the innocence and inexperience of multiple women.
These women allege that they were sexually assaulted in OB-GYN exams. The doctor had already recieved multiple complaints on Google Reviews but continued to be employed.
Plaintiff Stephanie Purcell recently disclosed her abuse on a podcast. Through the brave telling of her story, she was contacted by multiple other women who joined together to bring a lawsuit against the doctor.
THIS IS WHY we tell our stories. In the telling, we might be validating the experience of others who were abused.
***********************************
The following is the submission we recieved from Stephanie Purcell. She provides an email address to contact her, should you also be a victim of this doctor. Also attached are documents of the lawsuit and a article from a local news source.
**********************************
"TW: Graphic Sexual Assault and Battery
As a naive 18 year-old in 2008, I visited the office of Dr. David H. Broadbent, OB-GYN, for a “premarital exam.” During the exam, and without warning or asking for consent, he reached up my gown and cupped both of my breasts with his hands. Then he performed a vaginal exam without warning and without asking for consent. Finally, he performed a rectal exam again, without warning and without asking for consent. I winced in pain. Shock and shame and confusion overcame me. I felt completely violated and traumatized.
As he finished the exam, and while I was still lying exposed on the exam table, he looked down at me and said, “Well, your husband is a lucky man.” He then told me that if I experience any bleeding from sex that I should just do what the Boy Scouts say and “apply pressure.” These comments were extremely harmful to me—especially because I was lying vulnerable on the exam table still feeling physical pain and shock and shame from what this doctor had just done to me. I started my marriage believing that I was an object to be given to and enjoyed by my husband. I believed it was my duty to please my husband even if it meant pain and bleeding for me.
As the years went by I tried to forget and minimize what he did. I even blamed myself. I’m not even sure I fully understand the effect this experience had on me—from my emotional health, to my physical health, to my sexual health, to my ability to trust my inner knowing. Walking into an OBGYNs office doesn’t give them full-reign to do whatever they want to your body.
Fighting self-doubt, I recently spoke about this experience in a podcast interview. I was finally finding my voice.
After the interview, we were overwhelmed with messages from women who had similar experiences with Dr. Broadbent. Many of these women had never told anyone about their experience, but instead had suffered silently and alone. One woman reached out to me saying that her brother was an attorney and his law firm wanted to take on a case against Dr. Broadbent.
This week, I joined three other plaintiffs to stand against sexual assault and battery at the hands of Dr. David H. Broadbent. I feel confident that hundreds more women have had similar experiences with him. Please, please, please SHARE this article so it can reach as many victims as possible who are seeking relief and validation.
If women are uncomfortable contacting the law firm directly, I’m happy to discuss some of their options and offer support via email at JaneDoePurcell@gmail.com ♥️"