Betsey, Lucy, and Anarcha Days of Recognition

In the 1840s, Betsey, Lucy, and Anarcha, three enslaved Black women in Montgomery County, Alabama, were subjected to inhumane and painful experimentation at the hands of Dr. J. Marion Sims. While they are often forgotten, Sims is fondly remembered as the “father of modern gynecology” because of the surgical advancements he developed through the many abuses he perpetrated. 

Betsey, Lucy, and Anarcha’s harrowing experiences have helped raise awareness about racism in medicine and the mistreatment of people of color in the medical system, which has often been overlooked throughout history. By recognizing Betsey, Lucy, and Anarcha each year, we uplift the contributions they were forced to make; learn from the history of racism in obstetrics and gynecology; and remember why it’s critical that we continue to work toward providing more inclusive, respectful, and culturally informed care. 

About the Betsey, Lucy, and Anarcha Days of Recognition

In 2021, ACOG member Veronica Maria Pimentel, MD, MS, FACOG, proposed that ACOG dedicate February 28 and March 1 to recognizing Betsey, Lucy, Anarcha, and other enslaved women who were exploited in the name of medicine and are largely missing from medical textbooks and training. ACOG accepted that proposal and, in partnership with several leading health organizations, included it as one of the primary objectives outlined in the Collective Action Addressing Racism.  

Over the years, ACOG has worked with scholars who have studied the history of the profession, and the organization will continue to do so to help inform ACOG’s work and clinical practice. 

Everyone—obstetrician–gynecologists, patients, stakeholders, and the public— is invited to join us in recognizing Betsey, Lucy, and Anarcha and working toward equity and justice in medicine. 

Editorial Mentorship Program

In the summer of 2024, five mentees were selected to participate in the inaugural class of the Obstetrics & Gynecology Betsey, Lucy, and Anarcha Editorial Mentorship Program, a year-long mentorship that consists of virtual seminars; mentored peer reviews; editorial conference calls; and networking with peers, mentors, and editors. The program was named in honor of Betsey, Lucy, and Anarcha to serve as a reminder of how imperative it is to ensure that injustices are not perpetuated through research, training, and clinical practice.

During an all-day in-person orientation at ACOG headquarters during which they learned more about how to center equity in the peer review process, the mentees took some time to share with ACOG some of their most valuable takeaways and how they plan to incorporate what they learned into the practice of medicine. Watch the video below to learn more.

Say Anarcha: A Young Woman, a Devious Surgeon, and the Harrowing Birth of Modern Women's Health

Say Anarcha: A Young Woman, a Devious Surgeon, and the Harrowing Birth of Modern Women's Health details the history and life of Anarcha, one of the three enslaved women upon whom J. Marion Sims, hailed often as the “father of modern gynecology,” experimented on in order to advance his career and reputation. To learn more about the book, please watch the brief video below by the book’s author, J.C. Hallman.

Additional Resources

• Remembering Anarcha, Lucy, and Betsey: The Mothers of Modern Gynecology
• The ‘Father of Modern Gynecology’ Performed Shocking Experiments on Enslaved Women
• Medical Bondage: Race, Gender, and the Origins of American Gynecology
• Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present
• The Benson and Pamela Harer Seminar on History: Understanding the Genealogy of American Gynecology
• Reproductive Injustice: Racism, Pregnancy, and Premature Birth
• Reproducing racism

*This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number U7CMC33636 State Maternal Health Innovation Support and Implementation Program Cooperative Agreement. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government.