Thread by @majorityfm

#AMQuickie

New information emerged yesterday regarding the unsettling account of forced hysterectomies at a for-profit immigration detention center in Georgia.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal released a statement after meeting attorneys for women who were subjected to sterilization »

Jayapal said, "It has become clear that the initial reports are likely part of a horrific pattern of conduct. There may be, at minimum, seventeen women who were subjected to unnecessary procedures from just one doctor," » »

»» "...often without appropriate consent or knowledge, and with the clear intention of sterilization."

Jayapal added that it's possible there are similar cases for individuals who were already deported.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also demanded an investigation yesterday, calling upon the Department of Homeland Security’s Inspector General to inquire into what she called "a staggering abuse of human rights."

More than 160 Democrats signed a letter demanding that the I.G. investigation begin immediately.

In the meantime, other details about what has been happening at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility emerged from Jayapal’s preliminary Congressional investigation, which she pledged to continue »»

"One woman, who was nearly deported, consulted the doctor simply about her menstrual cycle. She was put under for what she was told would be a simple procedure, only to wake up and find that the doctor had removed part of her reproductive organs without her knowledge or consent."

"Another woman, already deported, apparently went in to see the doctor for a simple condition related to diabetes and ended up having gynecological surgery. 2 additional women apparently were shackled to the bed, reported to have had surgical procedures including a hysterectomy."

The new details add substance to the whistleblower account we told you about yesterday. All information has so far come through attorneys for the women who have been victimized, but the public hasn’t yet heard from those women directly »»

Nor have we seen any documents or other evidence about the nature and scope of the procedures. It will take time to get all the answers, but we haven’t heard the last on this story, that’s for sure.