Women’s Group Responds to Kirstjen Nielsen’s Admission that DHS Forces Detained Children to Take Pregnancy Tests
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, July 19, 2018
CONTACT: Yasmina Dardari | +1 (407) 922-8149 | yasmina@unbendablemedia.com
Women’s Group Responds to Kirstjen Nielsen’s Admission that DHS Forces Detained Children to Take Pregnancy Tests
Earlier today, Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen admitted that the Department of Homeland Security requires all girls over the age of 10 to have pregnancy tests when they arrive in DHS custody.
In reaction to Secretary Nielsen’s admission, Shaunna Thomas, Executive Director of UltraViolet, a leading national women’s advocacy organization, issued the following statement:
“This is a new, despicable low, even for this Administration.
“No women should ever be forced to undergo medical testing without their consent, and we are horrified that the Trump Administration is now forcibly exercising control over the bodies of these women. This would be wrong under any Administration, but it is especially dangerous under a White House that has proven to be so hostile to all immigrants and especially immigrant women. This must stop.”
“This brazen abuse also raises a number of horrifying questions that Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and the Department of Homeland Security must answer for the American people: How are these tests being administered? Are these girls being provided access to counseling for potential histories of sexual abuse? Are they being offered access to medical treatment or abortions if they do not want to carry a child? What does the Administration plan to do with the results of this information? Will the girls’ pregnancy results influence the government’s decision to deport or grant them asylum?”
For more information, or for interview with an UltraViolet spokesperson, please contact Yasmina Dardari at (407) 922-8149 or by email at yasmina@unbendablemedia.com.
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UltraViolet is an online community of over 1,000,000 women and men who want to take collective action to expose and fight sexism in the public sector, private sector and the media. Find out more at weareultraviolet.org