Medical Association Suggests “Further Conversation” About Statue
Group points to law preventing the removal of the Sims statue.
The Medical Association of Alabama installed the statue of Dr. James Marion Sims on the Capitol grounds in 1938.
The Association met today and discussed the statue after protestors gathered to call for it to be taken down. Sims was a gynecologist and performed surgery on enslaved women without using anesthesia.
Protesters at the Sims Statue earlier this month. One had been arrested on Confederate Memorial day for smearing ketchup on the statue to represent the blood shed by the enslaved women on whom he operated.
MONTGOMERY — In 1937, the Medical Association of the State of Alabama voted to erect a statue on the Alabama Capitol grounds of Dr. James Marion Sims, who is still recognized today as the “father of gynecology.” While many of his innovations in women’s health have stood the test of time and are still in use today, the Medical Association also feels it is important to recognize the enslaved women, such as Anarcha, Lucy and Betsy, who were his patients.
The Alabama Memorial Preservation Act of 2017 prohibits the removal of monuments located on public property for 40 or more years. Consequently, the Medical Association encourages further conversation regarding the appropriate recognition of these women, Dr. Sims and their contribution to modern medicine.
— Medical Association Board of Censors
