Hospital staff raise alarm, claiming mother shackled while baby in NICU

Queensland Corrective Services has initiated an internal review into allegations that an Indigenous woman was physically restrained in a north Queensland hospital shortly after giving birth. The incident occurred at Townsville University Hospital, where the mother was reportedly shackled by her ankle and wrist to her bed following a caesarean section. Her newborn infant was placed in the neonatal intensive care unit during this period. The Queensland government faces increasing political pressure to outlaw the practice of restraining women during childbirth and the immediate postnatal period. The woman, whose identity has not been released, delivered her baby on October 10 while in custody. Hospital staff, including midwives, nurses, and medical personnel, raised alarms regarding the use of restraints. They contacted Sisters Inside, an organization dedicated to supporting criminalized women and girls, expressing distress over the mother’s treatment. Debbie Kilroy, the chief executive of Sisters Inside, stated that staff members requested the removal of the shackles. The medical team argued that the restraints hindered the woman’s recovery from major surgery and prevented her from visiting her child in the neonatal intensive care unit without physical restriction. Prison officers refused these requests. Kilroy described the scene as one of severe suffering. She noted that the midwives and nurses advocated for the removal of the shackles because the woman was unable to move freely and was in agony. According to Kilroy, the mother became highly distressed, and her health visibly deteriorated over the course of the week. Hospital staff further alleged that prison officers made racist and derogatory remarks toward the woman. The staff are currently in the process of formalizing a complaint against the corrective services agency regarding the manner of her treatment. One group of staff members described themselves as deeply upset, with some reporting that they cried due to the rudeness displayed by the officers. Queensland Corrective Services responded to the allegations through a spokesperson, stating that the management of the prisoner during her hospital stay would be subject to an internal review. The agency maintained that restraints are utilized only as a last resort for pregnant prisoners when necessary to maintain public safety. Minister for Corrective Services Laura Gerber confirmed she was aware of the incident. She reiterated that pregnant women can only be restrained as a last resort due to public safety concerns. Gerber added that she had been briefed by her department, which indicated that the woman was not restrained during the actual delivery of the baby or during the surgical procedure itself. The controversy has intensified amid broader legislative efforts to ban such practices. Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe recently introduced a bill in federal parliament aimed at prohibiting the shackling of incarcerated women during childbirth and the strip searching of children. However, the legislation was blocked by Members of Parliament from both the Labor and Coalition parties. Following the defeat of the federal bill, Kilroy stated that the responsibility now falls to individual states and territories to legislate an end to what she termed a barbaric practice. State Labor Member of Parliament Jonty Bush launched a petition on Monday urging the Queensland government to expressly prohibit the use of handcuffs, shackles, and other custodial restraints on women during labor, childbirth, and the immediate postnatal period. Bush argued that there is no valid justification for such practices. He dismissed the common rationale of flight risk, noting that anyone familiar with the experience of labor would recognize the absurdity of that claim. Bush cited the United Nations’ Bangkok Rules, which govern the treatment of women prisoners. These international guidelines assert that instruments of restraint shall never be used on women during labor, birth, or immediately after birth. Bush emphasized that women in these situations are often in fear for themselves and their babies, yet they are shackled to beds under the guise of protection. He called on the state to uphold its human rights commitments and ensure that birthing processes within the prison system remain as free from restriction as possible. Fridae King, assistant secretary of the Queensland Nurses and Midwives' Union, voiced strong opposition to the use of shackles during childbirth and labor. She stated that the application of restraints in such contexts is traumatizing and potentially compromises the quality of medical care. King called for a national prohibition on the use of restraints throughout pregnancy, childbirth, and the post-birth period, emphasizing the need to uphold the human rights and dignity of women. Tahlia Isaac, a female prisoner advocate based in Townsville, criticized the concept of using restraints as a last resort. In her experience working with female prisoners, she observed that restraints were frequently applied based on values-based judgments rather than strict necessity. Isaac questioned the practical definition of a last resort, suggesting that the term did not align with the reality of how restraints were deployed in her professional observations. The ongoing review by Queensland Corrective Services aims to determine whether protocol violations occurred during the care of the mother at Townsville University Hospital.