A pregnant American woman currently living in Australia is fearing for her life and the life of her unborn child due to an impending deportation order. Eleanor Mapp, a 30-year-old United States citizen, who lives in Perth with her Australian partner, Terrance Batey, and his family, could be forced to leave the country as early as today, when her visa expires, despite the fact that she is four months into what doctors are describing as a very high risk pregnancy.
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“I’m scared. I’m fearing for my life,” Mapp told Seven News. “If I get sent back home, my unborn child as well as I will die.”
According to Perth Now, Mapp has a history of “serious obstetric complications.” She lost twins in 2015, and the pregnancy also forced the removal of one of her fallopian tubes. Last year, she gave birth to a baby girl, Mia, at 24 weeks, but the child passed away two days later.
Mapp’s doctor, Alida Lancee, has petitioned the Immigration Department to let the women stay in Australia because it is feared that she and the baby may not survive a trip back to the U.S.
“Without proper high level obstetric care Eleanor and her baby are at high risk of dying and it is too risky to send her back to the USA until her baby is born,” Lancee wrote in a letter to immigration officials.
If she were to make it to America, Mapp claims she would not have any resources to support herself.
“I have nowhere to go,” she said. “I’ll be out in the street. No money, no healthcare, nowhere to stay.”
With that in mind, Scott White, a specialist at King Edward Memorial Hospital in Australia, wrote to the immigration department explaining that, while it is not unreasonable for Mapp to be deported given her lapsed visa, it would be irresponsible, from a medical perspective, to return her to the U.S. without a clear understanding of what her healthcare situation would be.
“She is at significant risk of maternal harm, including potentially death, if she is not managed appropriately in this pregnancy,” White wrote.
While Mapp is understandably fearful of what the future holds, Australian immigration authorities claim they have been trying to resolve the visa issue for nearly a year, but Mapp has yet to file a proper application.
“Individuals who have no further matters before the department and have been deemed medically fit to travel are expected to depart,” a spokeswoman said.
H/T: Daily Mail