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NBC's comments about women on SVU
Last week Law & Order: SVU (on NBC) made a offensive comment about a woman with HPV/cervical dsyplasia. I wrote the following letter to the producers at: LawOrderSVU@nbc.com and I think you should, too!
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I watched last Friday's show and I noticed one of the characters on the show said something like: "(This girl) has cervical dysplasia Looks like our miss-has-no-boyfriends has had a lot of them."
As a medical writer, I was very upset that you implied that ALL cervical dysplasia is caused by a sexually transmitted disease. Many cases of cervical dysplasia are caused by HPV (human papilloma virus), but not all. HPV is not always spread by intercourse, as well. It is possible to contract HPV from skin-to-skin contact, therefore it is possible for virgins to have HPV.
The SVU character's comment was insensitive, and you have managed to offend many of your female viewers. More than 25 % of sexually active adults carry one of the more than 60 strains of HPV, many of them are married or in monogamous relationships. Implying that a woman "sleeps around" because she has HPV has made many women feel ashamed about a condition that they shouldn't feel embarrassed about.
When your show spreads false an inaccurate information about women and public health issues, I will be saving my freetime for CSI on Thursday nights.
Sincerely,
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