Wednesday 1 August 2007

Advice for women when strapped to a gurney

Here's some advice for women delivered to Accident & Emergency for urgent attention, but who are assailed instead by Nanny's vigilantes intent on finding abuse where it isn't (and ignoring it where it is) and on confirming Nanny's view that all men are rapists: Tell the clipboard wielding harridans to mind their own business, and get on with the reason for you being in Accident & Emergency -- urgent treatment.

Just for the record, here's the questions Nanny will be asking you before she deigns to dole out your rationed treatment:
  • Has anybody hurt or threatened you?
  • Have you ever felt controlled or always criticised?
  • Have you been asked to do anything sexual that you didn't want to do?
Don't you think there's better things emergency room nurses could be doing than asking questions like this?

UPDATE 1: Has anyone else noticed the presumption of guilt inherent in this -- the reversal of the presumption of innocence, which is the proper role of the state when it comes to justice?

UPDATE 2: Peter McC answers all three questions in the positive, and provides plenty of evidence for his abuse [hat tip DPF]. Shocking reading. Reminds me of this You Tube ad. Shocking watching.

UPDATE 3: Stephen Franks offers hope rather than advice, but the thought is just as pointed:
I hope hospital staff are “abused” in the original sense of that word, by women who tell them to mind their own business. All involved should revolt against being used. This policy inflicts indignity on everyone rather than face the failure of 40 years of social policy... Surely we must be reaching a nadir of some sort. Only two generations ago we were noted for stoic self reliance. Now every one in “the community” must bear the guilt and responsibility for individual viciousness. The collectivists will twist in any direction rather than enforce personal responsibility.
Superb commentary well worth reading in full, not least for the link he highlights between welfare, racism and abuse.

11 comments:

Greg said...

Perhaps Nanny should be asking these questions in her legal brothels?

* Has anybody hurt or threatened you?
* Have you ever felt controlled or always criticised?
* Have you been asked to do anything sexual that you didn't want to do?
=============

Also, before banning the inquisitorial clipboard make Willie Jackson do the job for a week to get some experience in reality.

Anonymous said...

" .. assailed instead by Nanny's vigilantes intent on finding abuse where it isn't (and ignoring it where it is) .. "

Well said. Typical state stupidity.

My question in response: What will be done with the information collected?

Anonymous said...

Anything, anything to avoid looking at the real cause of child abuse.

Peter Cresswell said...

"Anything, anything to avoid looking at the real cause of child abuse."

That's it, isn't it. Ignoring the real cause of child abuse while using child abuse to further Nanny's advance. Disgusting.

Berend de Boer said...

This is all what's left to kiwi-men: guilty, unless proven innocent.

Basically all men are assumed to be violently towards their wives, so all women need to be questioned.

Maybe I should move to a country where a man isn't assumed to be guilty by virtue of being a man and having a wife.

Anonymous said...

Gruesome that these questions will be asked under the sign outlining patients rights.

And lets not ask about the privacy issues.

JC

KG said...

They're not the only questions nurses are supposed to ask.
(bear in mind that a triage nurse in a busy department gets around three minutes to question each patient)
Under the new anti-smoking guidelines, there's a whole form the nurse is supposed to fill out after asking the patient about his/her smoking habits.
Never mind the pool of blood under the gurney.....priorities, people!

KG said...

Five words Kiwis need to learn--
mind.your.own.fucking.business.

Anonymous said...

That's not the half of it, the scariest part is that they have already said the system could be expanded. There's limitless scope here, it's a whole new concept. Who needs secret police when you can train tens of thousands of workers to ask intrusive questions.

Greg said...

It's not even about being nosey! The reflexive cry for privacy is what they want you to be diverted by!!

This treats medicos like idiots for the purpose of political dissembling. Doctors and nurses are, by dint of occupation, inquiring and nosey and will already be making intelligent assessments about abuse without the use of a scorecard. It's utterly jejune.

The 'questions' are just a smokescreen for real action, which is addressing the brutish behaviour of human scum. As said above, "Anything, anything to avoid looking at the real cause of child abuse."
-------

Also, keep your precise list of political cliches on abuse close by as you'll need to post them again in 3-4 months!

Anonymous said...

I was overheard spitting tacks in the lunchroom when I saw the Herald's frontpage report of this errant nonsense.

What worries me is what happens when self-respecting women refuse to answer these ludicrous questions. Will a failure to put a tick on an official form mean husbands/partners will be investigated anyway? And will treatment be delayed, to soften up the non-compliant victim?