Last Monday, a whistleblower complaint was filed against an ICE detainment facility located in Georgia. The complaint makes the claim that the facility carries out an unnecessary amount of hysterectomies (removal of the uterus / parts of the uterus rendering the patient unable to bear children), and in many cases, without the informed consent of the patient. Many of the patients do not speak English and were not provided with proper translators to fully understand what was happening to them (and why they even needed surgery to begin with).
The complaint caught the attention of many government officials, each calling for an investigation of the facility. Bob Trammell, a representative of Georgia, made this statement on Twitter:
The situation depicted in the complaint is disgusting and should definitely not be allowed to happen. There is seemingly no reason to strip detainees of their ability to bear children, especially without their consent. It is oddly similar to the other cases of forced sterilization in American history, which targeted minorities and lower income families because they were deemed unfit to reproduce (you can read about that here if you want). It's eugenics, and if the investigation proves the whistleblower complaint correct, ICE should be held accountable. ICE already separates children from their families, and with COVID, conditions have become even worse; the complaint also states that the facility doesn't follow proper virus protocol and is putting detainees at risk of getting severely sick. Hopefully the government will stop filibustering and do something immediately to cease this breach of human rights; however, it is probably idealistic to think this way.
Source 1: Statement from Nancy Pelosi
Source 2: The Intercept
Source 3: CNN
Source 4: NPR
5 comments:
I think it is absolutely outrageous that women are being sterilized without consent, and at this magnitude. Like Pariya mentioned, sterilization, known as eugenics back then, was a way of discrimination by only allowing certain groups of people to reproduce as to "purify" the society. The reality behind such motive disproportionately affected low income and racial minorities which seems to be the pattern here. Such dehumanization is devastating and I can't even imagine what the women are going through. Additionally, by publicly revealing such incidents, the whistleblower Dawn Wooten jeopardizes her own safety, current job, and future career yet she still believed strongly enough to take that risk.
Kayla Li
This sounds like something an evil scientist would do in a movie. As Kayla and Pariya have said, eugenics have been banned in America for some time now. Without a doubt, the surgeon behind these procedures was doing so as a form of discrimination. I also don't doubt that this will go unpunished, but that there is also the sad truth that the victims of this crime will only get compensation. This has been the government's way of saying sorry, with money. This has been exampled by the compensations after the eugenics movemnt in the 20th century, after over 60000 people were steralized. For most immigrants,they come to America because they believed in the opportunity and the chance at a new and better life, a better life for their children, only to have that right stripped away. This feels like a messed up way to bypass the fourteenth amendment.
I agree that the circumstances outlined by the whistleblower’s complaint are absolutely disgusting. The nonconsensual treatment of patients, specifically those detainees who were reportedly not provided access to translators, is appalling, and a violation of human rights. As Rep. Bennie Thompson stated in source three, “Dawn Wooden’s complaints emphasize the alarming pattern of unsafe conditions and a lack of oversight at privately-run ICE facilities” (Alvarez). Dr. Mahendra Amin is reported to be the only OB-GYN serving this specific Irwin detention facility, and his statements regarding the amount of hysterectomies he has performed, do not align with Wooden’s or those of the other Irwin female detainees, as detailed in source two. Additionally, Dr. Amin has reportedly removed the “wrong ovary” from that of a patient in this facility, and in 2013, was accused of “issuing false Medicare and Medicaid claims” (Olivares, Washington). It is horrifying to imagine that the exposed injustices of this doctor may be representative of the treatment of other individuals at privately-run ICE facilities. I agree that it is imperative that there be an investigation of the Irwin detention facility. The stress and pressure these women feel must be unbelievable, as they are forced to receive treatment from a medical professional who de-emphasizes some of the very modern ethical values that govern the purpose and work of those in the medical field.
If this whistleblower's claim is true, I weep for America. Are we really a 1st world country, a land of the free and home of the brave? From this disgusting and horrifying possibility to the many nonchalant or simply incorrect responses to the coronavirus, it seems like America has many idiots and comically bad "evil scientists" (Thanks Tim). We know that "Good news is no news," so it seems at this point we are a country full of these people. Can we have some good news at this point? Considering the seemingly countless claims of ICE's brutality, ICE must be constantly monitored and forced to comply with basic human rights. This shouldn't be a partisan issue, and I hope that the possiblity of nonconsensual hysterectomies won't be. We should secure our borders, but human rights always come first.
Along with everything ICE already does, (separating CHILDREN from their families) it is utterly terrifying how women are getting their insides REMOVED without proper consent. As Pariya said, this is trying to “purify” society, this revolting act is trying to justify racism. This is trying to stop the growth of racial minorities. Along with this, ICE doesn't even perform proper covid procedures, risking the detainees with high chances of getting infected and extremely sick. ICE dehumanizes its detainees, and they justify this with the need to secure and protect our borders, but by doing this, they are throwing away their moral and ethical values, and human rights.
Jennifer Barrera
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