Women from the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in South Dakota are being forced to induce labor, according to a new lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union.
The reservation lacks obstetric care so expectant mothers are sent to a hospital that has a contract with the Indian Health Service.
At St. Mary's Healthcare Center in Pierre, Indian women are pressured into taking medication to induce labor, according to the lawsuit.
"A woman living on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation has the same rights as any other woman to make medical decisions during pregnancy," Alexa Kolbi-Molinas, staff attorney with the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project, said in a press release. "No woman should be compelled to undergo induced labor against her will."
The ACLU said it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for information about induced labor cases .But the IHS has failed to respond in a timely manner, according to the lawsuit.
The complaint can be found at ACLU v. Indian Health Services.
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Press Release: ACLU Sues for Information on American Indian Women Pressured to Induce Labor
(ACLU 9/27)
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