Dr. Kamalbir Kaur Dhaliwal, MD

In the light of recent news (reversal of Roe vs Wade) I remembered the humiliating and honestly enraging visit I had with Dr. Dhaliwal. At the time I was 30 y.o, asking for surgical sterilization since I knew that I don’t ever want to have kids. I knew that this was a serious and irreversible surgery and have looked up the side effects, possible complications, etc. Dr. Dhaliwal explained that it was irreversible and asked if my husband was on board. I said absolutely. She then said that I might change my mind in the future. OR THAT IF I DIVORCE MY FUTURE HUSBAND MIGHT WANT TO HAVE CHILDREN. That’s right, folks, this FEMALE doctor told me that I should put the needs of my FUTURE HYPOTHETICAL husband ahead of my own. If that was not enough, she also said that I should get a psych evaluation from my psychiatrist to basically say that I’m not crazy. I’m gonna quite her notes: “I also encouraged the patient to have documentation from her psychiatrist about her ability to make a reliable… decision.” So a 30 year woman with a Master’s degree from a prestigious university, with stable employment and income, in a stable relationship must be crazy to ask for permanent sterilization. I asked Dr. Dhaliwal if I was asking her for surgical intervention due to issues conceiving, would she help me. Sure, sterilization is permanent but so is having children. Would she tell me that I might change my mind about having children? Would she ask me if my hypothetical future husband would not want children? She was not phased by these questions nor the obvious double standard she was applying. Her final decision was to say that I could be under her care for a few years and then MAYBE she would agree to the surgery. This is after I explained to her that I might move to a different state with restrictions on abortions if my birth control failed. Anyways, this story has a happy ending. I found a different obgyn in the Kaiser system. She explained that the surgery was irreversible and asked me if I was sure. I said yes. And that was the end of it. That doctor did not treat me as mentally unstable or too stupid to make decisions about my reproductive health. She prioritized MY well-being over the well-being of other people in my life. Take notes Dr. Dhaliwal, this is what a good doctor looks like.

She is very understanding dr i ever met

an excellent doctor

Dr. Dhaliwal was exceptionally rude during my visit. I will be filing a complaint regarding how I was treated with Kaiser.