Sculptor honoring enslaved women used in Alabama gynecological experiments visiting LA Updated Mar 05, 2021; Posted Mar 05, 2021 Michelle Browder of Montgomery stands at Court Square, where she designed and helped paint a temporary Black Lives Matter mural. (Mike Cason/mcason@al.com) Facebook Share By Deborah Vankin Los Angeles Times (TNS) and Tribune Media Services You may have heard of Dr. J. Marion Sims, the so-called “father of modern gynecology.” It’s less likely you know the “mothers of gynecology.” In the mid-1800s in Montgomery, Sims conducted experimental surgeries on about 11 enslaved women. None of them gave consent to be operated on. None of them received anesthesia. Their suffering has largely been forgotten, overshadowed by Sims’ medical achievements.