The instruction was clear: "IHMS is not to concern itself with the legality of the procedure."
The advice to the International Health and Medical Services, the organisation Australia has charged with overseeing health services on Nauru and Manus Island, came from the Australian government. 
Despite abortion being illegal under Papua New Guinea's criminal code, Australia has sent at least two refugee women for pregnancy terminations at Pacific International Hospital (PIH) in Port Moresby, it was revealed on Friday.
This, high-profile barrister Ron Merkel told the Federal Court, was tantamount to Australia "procuring illegal conduct" in PNG.
The Federal Court in Melbourne is currently considering the case of a young African woman, known only by the pseudonym S99, who was in the midst of a violent epilepsy seizure and barely conscious when raped on Nauru. Abortion is illegal in the tiny island nation.
The young woman, who was married at 16 to an abusive husband who later tracked her down and denounced her to the murderous Al-Shabaab group, was granted refugee status by Nauru.
She is now more than 12 weeks pregnant, and suffers from severe mental illness, her legal team says.
She can no longer have a medical termination and must instead undergo a surgical procedure, but requires specialist care for regular and violent seizures.
The woman's legal battles began when she begged Australian officials on Nauru to let her come here to terminate the pregnancy. Instead, Australia sent her to Port Moresby for an abortion, where she remains in limbo.
Abortion is also illegal in PNG, according to its criminal code, which states a woman who attempts to "procure her own miscarriage" faces a maximum seven years' imprisonment. Last year a PNG couple were jailed for five years for causing the death of their unborn child.
But the federal government says the risk of the woman being prosecuted for having an abortion is negligible, and says despite flying the woman to PNG, paying for her accommodation and arranging her visa to PNG, it does not bear responsibility for her care.
In a letter to the department, IHMS warned the woman faced long-term health and psychological consequences if forced to endure an unwanted pregnancy.
"The mental health risks are greater the longer the pregnancy progresses against her will," the report said.
The senior bureaucrat charged with approving her transfer out of Nauru, David Nockels, had to consider her case on his first day as assistant secretary of Australian Border Force's detention services division.
Mr Nockels told the court he did not seek any independent legal advice on the advisability of sending the woman to PNG.
Instead, he sought the advice of Dr Mathias Sapuri, a senior consultant, obstetrician and gynaecologist at PIH hospital, who is also a shareholder of the hospital.
"I would assume he would have an appreciation of that [legal situation]," Mr Nockels said.
The court was told Mr Nockels also decided to send S99 to PNG against the "urgent" medical advice of senior health officials on Nauru, who recommended the woman come to Australia.
Mr Nockels said sending the woman to Australia would have breached immigration policy. "That's why we have Nauru and Manus ... that's the policy perspective," he said. The hearing continues.