Pregnant woman claims cops dragged her to hospital where docs FORCED HER to undergo C-section
DENILIQUIN, AUSTRALIA: A young woman recalled a traumatic experience when she was about to give birth. The 23-year-old mother-of-four alleged that she was threatened by the police while she was pregnant and told that she would be dragged to the hospital in handcuffs for refusing to have her baby through a C-section. The woman, whose name has not been revealed, wanted to give birth to her child through a natural birth procedure after having two of her children were born surgically. She alleged that the doctors refused to allow her to have a natural birth despite the foetus being perfectly healthy.
The incident took place almost a year-and-a-half ago in August 2021, when she refused the C-section option and found a policewoman and social worker from the New South Wales Department of Communications and Justice in Deniliquin at her doorstep. They had come to escort her to the hospital. According to Daily Mail, the woman said, “I was so tired and just cried with tears streaming down my face.” Authorities iterated that the decision to take her was made keeping in mind the mother and baby’s health.
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‘Told me I’d have a dead baby’
The woman had been informed of the complications of having a natural birth, with the possibility of the baby getting stuck due to her vagina being “too fat.” However, the woman did not buy the excuse and refused to have a C-section done. When the authorities showed up, she claimed that they pulled a concern tactic and told her that she may not get to the hospital on time given the distance, which may lead to severe complications. The woman did not believe it, saying it “didn’t make sense because other women from the town had birthed at Shepparton- 137km (~85 miles) away- without having to go in early.”
She alleged that the policewoman tried to talk the woman into coming by sharing a story of a relative whose baby died after she gave birth on the side of the road, having not been able to get to the hospital on time. “I knew it was just another scare tactic. The policewoman said I could come willingly but if I didn’t, I’d be handcuffed,” she said.
‘I was petrified’
The woman had been terrified about her children seeing her being dragged to a hospital, so she quietly packed a hospital bag and went with them. She was then taken to the hospital, where the policewoman stayed outside her door, guarding her. Then, she was taken to another hospital at midnight, where she was kept locked in a birthing suite until 10.30am, when a doctor came to see her.
When the doctor arrived, the woman begged her to be allowed a natural birth, citing her postpartum depression and having children to raise as a reason. However, the doctor told her that she may risk losing her children to the authorities if she chose to do this her way, so it would be better to cooperate.
“I knew it was true. I was so scared, but I was also so tired I could barely keep my eyes open,” she said. With all the mounting pressure, the woman and her husband agreed to their terms, albeit reluctantly.
Troubles did not end there for the family
Soon after the procedure, authorities came to her home again, only to ask her to participate in a rehabilitation program for vulnerable families with young children. The experience left the woman absolutely devastated and she claimed that she continues to see a therapist about her ordeal to this day. She has also been receiving help for her postnatal depression.