Letters to the Editor

‘Quantum Sufficit’ Artwork Considered Offensive

Am Fam Physician. 2004 Jul 15;70(2):258-260.

to the editor: The illustration by Peter Brunke that accompanied the September 15, 2003 “Quantum Sufficit”1 piece on fetal sex prediction as a correlate of maternal caloric intake was offensive in its blatant sexism. It portrayed a pregnant woman eating a large meal and, therefore, presumably carrying a male fetus, with her partner smiling. Next to her was another pregnant woman, eating a small meal and, therefore, presumably carrying a female fetus, with her partner scowling.

While a charitable interpretation of the cartoon might conclude that the partner of the woman eating the large meal was happy because his partner had a big appetite, this is clearly not the message. Rather, the cartoon illustrates that men are happy when expecting male infants and unhappy when expecting female infants.

This is the 21st century, and physicians and health policy advocates in the United States are addressing issues of health disparity, including those of gender. In other parts of the world, female infants and children are still selectively denied their birthrights, food, and education. It is disgraceful for a journal like American Family Physician to publish such a sexist illustration.

Send letters to Kenneth W. Lin, MD, Associate Deputy Editor for AFP Online, e-mail: afplet@aafp.org, or 11400 Tomahawk Creek Pkwy., Leawood, KS 66211-2680.

Please include your complete address, e-mail address, telephone number, and fax number. Letters should be fewer than 500 words and limited to six references, one table or figure, and three authors.

Letters submitted for publication in AFP must not be submitted to any other publication. Possible conflicts of interest must be disclosed at time of submission. Submission of a letter will be construed as granting the American Academy of Family Physicians permission to publish the letter in any of its publications in any form. The editors may edit letters to meet style and space requirements.

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