Peter Dutton has again exposed the hypocrisy of the Turnbull government’s commitment to respect for women, describing the plight of pregnant asylum seekers on Nauru as “a racket.”
The pregnant women on Nauru need medical expertise for difficult pregnancies. The difficulties for a diabetic pregnancy are well established; the baby being large for gestational age is just one factor that increases the risk of birth trauma, induction of labour and likelihood of need for a caesaraian section. There is a greater likelihood of the baby being stillborn or developing heart and breathing problems and dying shortly after birth. (Photos of Golestan, the 35 year-old, pregnant Iranian asylum seeker are attached.)
“Does that sound like pregnant women are blackmailing the Australian government, as Peter Dutton claims?” asked Ian Rintoul, of the Refugee Action Coalition.
“If Malcolm Turnbull had any respect for women, he would sack Peter Dutton for his shameful comments belittling the serious concerns for the health of pregnant asylum seekers and their babies.
“The Immigration department has made a political decision to over-ride medical advice with a decree that asylum seeker women will no longer be sent to Australia.”
The hundreds of people who have been brought to Australia for medical treatment have been brought from Nauru because of the medical advice of the government’s own doctors. They are proof positive that proper medical treatment is not available on Nauru.
The figures for infant and maternal mortality on Nauru are staggering. There are seven soon-to-be mothers in the detention centre, three Iranians, three Rohingyans and one Sri Lankan who are facing serious risks to themselves and their babies.
“The Minister and the government is not being ‘taken for mugs’; Peter Dutton has made a mug of himself.
“His attempt to remove Abyan, the raped Somali refugee, to Nauru without care or counselling reveals a Minister driven by base political revenge upon the most vulnerable of people.”
The Refugee Action Coalition has initiated a petition calling for the Prime Minister to bring Golestan and other pregnant asylum seekers to Australia: https://www.change.org/p/prime-minister-malcolm-turnbull-bring-pregnant-nauru-refugees-to-australia
For more information, contact Ian Rintoul mob 0417 275 713.
