Young childless women have to jump through many hoops to be allowed to be sterilized: ‘Don’t be that difficult’

‘She was crying, but nobody got up to help’

Because in a waiting room you are mainly busy waiting, staring and hoping that everything will be fine, it is striking if something happens that touches. Something unexpected, something human. Sometimes it comes from a doctor, sometimes from a fellow patient. And sometimes from someone who just decides to get up. But that unfortunately does not happen often enough, writes Paulien Geurtkink.