If you're going to quote the juicy bits of the article, it might be helpful to provide the full context as well.

> women on planes on the ground at Doha, including 13 Australians, were subjected to the examinations as authorities searched for the mother of a newborn baby found abandoned in a plastic bag in the departures lounge at Hamad international airport.

While I personally don't think this justifies their actions, I do think it matters that this was not a completely random "let's inspect some vaginas".