US Border Patrol defends asking detained Australian tourist about her abortion history

Madolline Gourley was detained at the LAX airport in June over suspicions she had breached the conditions of the visa waiver programme

File. CBP officials have told Madolline Gourley that the questions she was asked were in line with the policies and procedures related to travellers in CBP custody (Madolline Gourley via CNBC)

An Australian woman, who was deported from the US after being asked about her abortion history in June, has said that the Customs and Border Protection [CBP] officials have now told her that asking travellers about “termination of pregnancy” is in line with their policies.

Madolline Gourley was detained in June at the Los Angeles airport, on her way to Canada, after she was asked by CBP officials whether she has had an abortion. The CBP has now told her that the agents acted properly in their interactions with her.

Ms Gourley was detained at the airport over suspicions she had breached the conditions of the visa waiver programme.

She said at the time that she “wasn’t distressed or upset by this particular question” but that she did remember thinking, “Did she seriously just ask that?”

In a follow-up this week, a CBP agent told 32-year-old Ms Gourley that an investigation into her experience at the airport with CBP agents “did not reveal any derogatory action from the part of any CBP employee”.

“The questions you were asked were in line with the policies and procedures related to travellers in CBP custody,” the CBP official said.

“Under current guidelines, CBP officials are required to collect information regarding potential medical issues, including pregnancy, postpartum and termination of pregnancy to childbearing females in CBP custody. This is done to ensure the health and wellbeing of those under our custody and is a top priority for CBP.”

Ms Gourley is a blogger from Brisbane known for travelling the world for catsitting was transiting through the US on 30 June when she was held at the border.

In June, she said that she’s saved around A$28,000 (£16,050) in accommodation costs to date by using site TrustedHouseSitters. She said that she has toured across Australia and the US for next to nothing by offering her housesitting services and looking after people’s pets while they’re away.