An 18-year-old from Baltimore, Maryland, raised concerns after describing what she called “creepy behavior” from her pediatrician. According to the teen, the male doctor allegedly asked her mother to leave the room before touching her inappropriately and making an unprofessional comment about her personal life. Disturbed by the encounter, she shared her experience on r/AITAH, where hundreds of users reacted with shock and concern over the doctor’s alleged conduct.
Posting under the username musty_ranch, the 18-year-old said her doctor had pulled his chair uncomfortably close and stared at her with what she described as “vulture eyes.” She was unsettled by his low, breathy voice and by the way he placed his hand on her knee. But it was only after he made a deeply inappropriate joke that she fled the examination room.
While explaining her scoliosis pain, the teen brought up how her right arm is stronger than her left due to left-arm pain. “THEN, HE ASKED ME “so you m@sturbate with that hand?” He kind of held my right wrist and placed his other hand on my bare thigh and gave me that look I’ve seen before, and I stood up immediately,” she recalled.
Before leaving with her mother, she told the front desk staff that the appointment had made her uncomfortable. “Was this a normal professional interaction, or am I literally losing my mind?” musty_ranch asked Reddit. Judging by the responses in the comments, many people agreed that this was not a normal pediatrician examination.
Commenters Weigh In
One person suggested she report the doctor to the clinic. “It’s an absolute red flag that he dismissed OPs mom and didn’t have a nurse come in to chaperone,” they wrote. “When the doc is a male there should always be a nurse or MA. As much for his protection as the patients,” agreed another.
Dozens of others agreed that someone should have been present with her in the examination room. Oddly, she responded, “I don’t think I’ve ever had a nurse in the room with me.”
Not having a chaperone present was one concern, but many people were justly disgusted by his comment on her ‘stronger arm.’ “There’s not a single reason that man needed to ask you that question,” added a third. “There are many creepy doctors out there,” remarked a fourth.
Professionals in positions of authority making lewd comments have generally been deemed unacceptable, followed by hefty backlash. Another example would be a Tennessee school board member calling a female high school student “hot” during an official meeting.
While inappropriate behavior is unacceptable in any context, stories like this teen’s experience with her pediatrician can reinforce some people’s negative perceptions of men. As one commenter wrote, “I’m not at all surprised by this story. I believe her—it’s not uncommon. Men are creeps.”
