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Violations of Reproductive Autonomy in the U.S.

These Violations are Not A Thing of The Past.

In 2020 a complaint was filed by various activist organizations after a whistleblower came forward about the medical abuse women were facing at the Irwin County Detention Center (ICDC). The complaint covered medical negligence at the hands of the nurse practitioners at ICDC, specifically “including refusal to test detained immigrants for COVID-19, who have been exposed to the virus and are symptomatic, shredding of medical requests submitted by detained immigrants, and fabricating medical records”(Cuffari et al., 2020). The complaint also raised red flags regarding the rate at which hysterectomies are performed on immigrant women under ICE custody at ICDC.

 

The complaint explains that officials transferred detainees to a physician who sterilized the women without proper informed consent. The whistleblower, nurse Dawn Wooten stated, “These immigrant women, I don’t think they really, totally, all the way understand this is what’s going to happen depending on who explains it to them”(Manian, 2020). Some nurses would try to communicate with detained immigrants by simply Google-translating Spanish rather than using appropriate interpretation protocols. This practice is concerning to many, and some feel that it is reminiscent of the United States history of eugenics. The concern is that medical personnel are targeting vulnerable women for coerced sterilization based on their race, poverty, and immigration status.

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These forced sterilizations are not the only concern of reproductive health violations at ICE detention centers. For example, Former Office of Refugee Resettlement Director Scott Lloyd attempted to block teen migrants from accessing abortion care, even when their pregnancies were the result of rape. The abuses of medical treatment are having significant impacts on the lives of women and many of the normalized practices that women have been subjected to are reminiscent of eugenic ideals. These practices have historically been utilized against women of color and minority groups to dissuade the advancement of certain groups.

(This graphic is up to date as of 2022.
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Sources

Cuffari, J., Quinn, C., Giles, T., Paulk, D., Cuffari, D., Quinn, Giles, M., & Paulk. (2020). VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL Re: Lack of Medical Care, Unsafe Work Practices, and Absence of Adequate Protection Against COVID-19 for Detained Immigrants and Employees Alike at the Irwin County Detention Center. https://projectsouth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/OIG-ICDC-Complaint-1.pdf

Manian, M. (2020, September 29). Immigration Detention and Coerced Sterilization: History Tragically Repeats Itself | News & Commentary | American Civil Liberties Union. American Civil Liberties Union. 

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