Stillbirth, miscarriage and acute psychosis are amongst the problems experienced by pregnant women held in immigration removal centres, Medical Justice said in a report published last week.
Medical Justice is an expert charity that challenges inadequate healthcare provision to immigration detainees.
According to the charity, the new report, Expecting Change: the case for ending the immigration detention of pregnant women, exposes the injustice and ineffectiveness of detaining pregnant women for immigration purposes.
The primary purpose of detention is removal, yet the report's research and a previous Medical Justice audit show that only around 5% of pregnant women were successfully removed. Removal of pregnant women is difficult because the Home Office is no longer permitted to use force on them, following a court case earlier this year.
The report backs calls made by Asylum Aid in its women's charter, which was signed by 337 different organisations, for an end to the detention of pregnant women.
Natasha Tsangarides, the report's author said: "The results show that the current policy of detaining pregnant women for immigration purposes is ineffective, unworkable and damaging. We estimate that the government could save £800,000 per year if it stopped detaining and forcibly removing pregnant women."
Diane Abbott MP, Labour's shadow public health minister and MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington said: "The government cannot go on turning a blind eye to this. This inhumane treatment of women who are pregnant is a hidden national scandal."
Louise Silverton, Director for Midwifery at the Royal College of Midwives said: "The detention of pregnant asylum seekers increases the likelihood of stress, which can risk the health of the unborn baby. Midwives can only work in the context of what they are allowed to do by their managers. The very process of being detained interrupts a woman's fundamental human right to access maternity care. The detention system makes it very difficult for midwives to put women at the centre of their care. We have concerns that the system in place actively inhibits the provision of good care. This is an untenable situation for midwives."
Dr Tony Falconer: President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) said: "Pregnant asylum seekers and refugees are often very vulnerable and any form of detention puts them and their babies at greater risk. We must ensure that these pregnant women receive high quality NHS maternity care. This includes antenatal support and access to purpose-built medical facilities away from detention centres."
The Medical Justice report calls on the government to stop detaining pregnant women and says that detaining pregnant women is not serving any purpose: the costs are great and the damage to women's health can be considerable.
You can read the full report here.