Tasmanian women allegedly medicated and underwent procedures without consent
An ABC investigation has uncovered allegations of possible malpractice within a Tasmanian hospital. It found mothers had undergone medical procedures and were being medicated without their consent. Many of the women were physically injured and mentally traumatised and are only now speaking out about their experiences.
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00:00I was screaming for it to stop. I was actually screaming stop. And they ignored me. A whole
00:14room full of people. They just kept going.
00:19I was terrified. Like, I'm not sure if it was the fact that I could barely hold myself
00:23up, or the fact that I couldn't hold my newborn.
00:28For these two women, giving birth at the Launceston General Hospital was an unforgettable experience
00:34for all the wrong reasons. Days after the birth of her first child, Holly Bennett told
00:40hospital staff her baby wasn't feeding. He hadn't probably fed in almost three days.
00:47She says they dismissed her concerns.
00:49I ended up crying, like, non-stop, because I thought that there was something wrong and
00:55I thought it was all in my head, because they were ignoring me.
00:59Holly says they offered her antidepressants. She refused them, but says staff gave her
01:04a high dose of antidepressants anyway, while administering another medication.
01:10And when I woke up, I felt like I'd been smacked. Like, I went to get up out of the bed and
01:14I had to hold on to everything to keep me upright. I had to hold on to the wall to walk
01:18to the bathroom.
01:23Multiple mothers have told the ABC they were medicated or underwent procedures without
01:28consent at the LGH.
01:31My honey goes by so fast.
01:35Georgia Lilly still thinks every day about her experience giving birth to her daughter.
01:40The bus in her first shower. That's my favourite photo. Look at how small she was.
01:48She didn't want forceps or a ventouse, also known as a vacuum cup, used during the labour.
01:54But she says the doctor told her they were moving on to an instrumental birth without
01:58giving her a chance to refuse it.
02:00Georgia says LGH staff ignored her pleas to stop the interventions.
02:05Doctor was saying, oh, have we had a boy or a girl? Congratulations. And I can't even explain
02:14how dehumanising it felt.
02:17Georgia wanted to know if the medical interventions were needed to save her baby's life.
02:23Sometimes women can have cardiac conditions or other health reasons where the increase
02:28in pressure that can be generated during the pushing phase needs to be lessened. And this
02:32is when a vacuum or forceps can be life-saving for the mother.
02:37Dr Gino Pecoraro heads the National Association of Specialist Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
02:44While he can't speak about specific allegations made against the LGH, he says it's important
02:49to discuss treatment with patients if they can communicate.
02:54You can't do something to someone without that consent. That's called assault. And there
02:59are legal protections for all consumers of healthcare that they don't have to do what
03:05we recommend. But by the same token, if you choose not to accept advice, then you do have
03:11to carry some responsibility for your decisions.
03:15Dr Pecoraro says in life-threatening situations, there may not be time to gain consent for
03:20medical interventions.
03:23Researchers estimate about one in three women experience birth trauma, while about 10 per
03:28cent of women suffer post-traumatic stress disorder after giving birth. The Australasian
03:33Birth Trauma Association estimates around 770 Tasmanian women experience birth trauma
03:40each year.
03:43The violence and disrespect that we see against women in society has actually infiltrated
03:47the birth suite. So those four walls of the institution aren't protecting women, and absolutely
03:52women are receiving violent and disrespectful maternity services.
04:00In a statement, Tasmania's Health Department said it's committed to providing high-quality
04:05and safe care to both women and babies. The department said it encourages anyone with
04:11concerns to come forward. It said all feedback is taken very seriously.
04:18Like I went from wanting two children at least, to not wanting to ever go back there again.
04:25I suppose the biggest impact is that I will never willingly birth in a hospital again.
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