Indigenous Queensland mother restrained on hospital bed during labour sparks national outcry
An Indigenous woman giving birth in a Queensland hospital was shackled to a bed, igniting renewed calls to prohibit restraints on pregnant prisoners.
During a weekend labour, an Aboriginal woman in Queensland was restrained with handcuffs while on a hospital bed, a fact. The woman underwent a caesarean section to deliver a premature infant and remained shackled on and off throughout her stay, prompting hospital staff to seek help from the group after prison officials refused removal. Queensland corrective services acknowledged the incident and announced an internal review, noting restraints are only used as a last resort for pregnant inmates.
Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe has tabled Senate bills to outlaw shackling of pregnant prisoners and to end strip-searches of children, invoking Australia’s commitment to the UN Bangkok Rules. The move follows a recent parliamentary defeat of a similar bill, while Labor and the Coalition maintain that criminal-justice matters lie with the states. Senator Paul Scarr voiced concern and said he would raise the issue with the Queensland attorney-general, highlighting growing bipartisan unease over the practice.
Why it matters
The case highlights ongoing human-rights concerns about the treatment of pregnant inmates and pressures lawmakers to enforce international standards.
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