A disturbing report from BuzzFeed News has revealed that pregnant women in immigration detention are facing severe mistreatment, including being shackled and denied necessary medical care during miscarriages. The report highlights experiences from various detention centers across the United States, where women have shared their traumatic stories.
Women who have experienced miscarriages, those currently pregnant, healthcare professionals, and legal advocates have documented alarming incidents since the beginning of Donald Trump’s administration. Virginia Sushila Schwerin, a midwife and nurse at a clinic near the border, expressed her concerns: “Pregnant women have specialized needs and this is a high-risk group. Detaining them is inhumane.”
One woman, identified as Ana, recounted her ordeal when she began to bleed heavily and pleaded for help. “An official came and said it wasn’t a hospital and they weren’t doctors. They refused to help me,” she told BuzzFeed News. Ana had traveled from Honduras seeking a safer life for her child and, at four months pregnant, she lost her baby without receiving any medical assistance. “I spent eight days just lying down, unable to eat or do anything. My heart aches knowing that other pregnant women could suffer the same fate,” she shared.
Under the Obama administration, ICE was instructed to limit the detention of pregnant women, only doing so in extreme cases. However, Trump’s administration reversed this policy, allowing the detention of pregnant women not yet in their third trimester. Although ICE is required to ensure that pregnant detainees receive appropriate medical care, the report reveals that these protocols are often ignored, with women facing shackling during transfers and lacking critical medical attention, even in emergencies.
Healthcare workers at these facilities have witnessed physical and psychological abuse, with accounts of pregnant women being denied hospital access after falls, being forced into ill-fitting clothes that caused injuries, and undergoing unnecessary x-rays. Dr. Anjani Kolahi, an obstetric physician, stated, “This is not the US standard of care. It’s absolutely medical negligence and a cruel practice that imposes unnecessary risks on these women.”
While ICE lacks real-time data on the number of pregnant women detained, they reported that 590 pregnant women were held between December 14, 2017, and April 7, 2018. One of these women, Maria, shared her experience of being denied medical care when she began bleeding and ultimately lost her child. “The trauma inflicted on us is unimaginable. This is no place for anyone, especially not for pregnant women,” Maria said.
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In summary, the treatment of pregnant women in immigration detention centers has raised serious ethical concerns, highlighting the urgent need for reform in policies and practices to ensure their safety and well-being.