UNNECESSARY PROCEDURES CONDEMNED	 

The Delegation, Florida Politics, 10/6/2020


Last week, The New York Times published a story following their investigation of a detention facility in Ocilla, Georgia housing undocumented immigrants for ICE. The investigation revealed some female detainees had surgeries performed, including hysterectomies, that appear to have been unnecessary.

That prompted some Democratic members of Congress to introduce and pass a resolution condemning "unwanted, unnecessary medical procedures" performed on the immigrant women. West Palm Beach Democrat Lois Frankel was an original co-sponsor.

"The allegations of mass hysterectomies being forced on immigrant women have revealed gross human rights violations," said Frankel, co-chair of the House Democratic Women's Caucus. "Mass hysterectomies have a long and shameful history in the United States, and forced sterilization has been used to further White supremacy, ableism, and other forms of discrimination."

In addition to condemning any unnecessary medical procedures, the resolution also calls on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to take a series of specific actions, including pausing the removal of any individual who experienced any medical procedure at the (emergency room) and allowing individuals who may have experienced an unnecessary or nonconsensual procedure to have immediate access to adequate, safe and consensual medical treatment.

Additionally, it calls on DHS to immediately comply with all related investigations and records requests related while ensuring affected individuals are able to freely participate in any investigation without fear of reprisal. Finally, the resolution demands that DHS hold all individuals involved in these incidents accountable and bring them to justice.