• Home
  • Blog
  • Start Here!
  • Free Printables
  • About
    • Products we love & Support
    • Contact
    • Terms of Use
    • Disclosure
    • Hire me
  • My eBook
  • Subscribe

Wildflower Ramblings New

our new site

  • Homeschool
    • Charlotte Mason Method
    • Reggio Emilia Approach
    • Montessori Learning
    • Waldorf at Home
    • Classical Conversations
    • Early Literacy Stages Series
    • Curriculum choices
      • Tot School (2 years)
      • Preschool (3 years)
      • Pre-Kindergarten (4 years)
      • Pre-Kindergarten (4 years – 2017)
      • Preschool (5 years)
      • Kindergarten (5 years)
      • First Grade (6 years)
      • Charlotte Mason Schedule: Year One
    • 12 Months of Sensory Dough
    • Sensory Play
    • Crafts through the Bible
    • Practical Life Ideas
    • Before Five in a Row – ISH
  • Baby
    • Montessori Baby Room
    • Treasure Bins for Baby
    • 21 Activities for One Year Olds
  • Tot School
  • Preschool
    • What is Number Sense?
    • ABC Felt Animals
    • Preschool Alphabet Book
    • Our Preschool Notebook
    • Preschool Circle Time Schedule
    • Free 24 Preschool Chants
    • Free Preschool Songs
    • Our Preschool Plans
  • ABC
    • Letter A
    • Letter B
    • Letter C
    • Letter D
    • Letter E
    • Letter F
    • Letter G
    • Letter H
    • Letter I
    • Letter J
    • Letter K
    • Letter L
    • Letter M
    • Letter N
    • Letter O
    • Letter P
    • Letter Q
    • Letter R
    • Letter S
    • Letter T
    • Letter U
    • Letter V
    • Letter W
    • Letter X
    • Letter Y
    • Letter Z
  • Toys & Resources
    • 20+ Tools for Hyperactivity
    • What is Sensory Processing?
    • Best Workbooks & Readers {Ages 2-5}
    • Essential Preschool Tools
    • Essential Craft & Homeschool Tools for Mom
    • Best Art Utensils for Kids
    • Bible Resources for Kids
    • Our keeping and recording memories series
  • Health
    • Herbal Remedies
    • The home birth of my son
    • The water birth of my daughter
    • her waterbirth
    • When your baby has a fever
    • Example of Hospital Birth Plan {free printable!}
  • Books
    • My AMAZING Book Store
    • Books for Children
    • Pop! Squirt! Splash! Ebook
    • Learn with Play Ebook
You are here: Home / Childbirth / Childbirth in Prison

Childbirth in Prison

February 26, 2012

NPR covered an extremely disturbing story a couple of weeks ago. It studied the treatment of pregnant women in prison and their childbirth experiences. Certainly it would be understandable for a convicted murderer or a serious violent offender to have possibly one handcuffed hand during their birth experience, but what about for other crimes such as theft, fraud, etc? This story opened my eyes to the horror that these women experience in the United States prison system. Some women talked about their guards not believing that the women were in labor and delaying their travel to a hospital. Some remained shackled until it was “time to push”. Only ten states outlaw this practice: IL, VT, CA, TX, NY, NM, CO, WV, PN, according to Unsilent Generation and Prison Fellowship. In 2003, Illinois was the only state with this law, and since then, with help from the American Civil Liberties Union, this issue is coming to the forefront. A historic case was just won by Shawanna Nelson, prisoned after committing a non-violent crime, who was shackled during her labor and birth.

After childbirth, the majority of states do not make special arrangements for the care of newborns in prison. After birth, mothers and babies are separated within hours and the baby is sent to live with a family member or goes to foster care. New York, Ohio, California, Indiana, Nebraska, West Virginia, and Washington are exceptions; prisons in these states have nurseries in which infants are allowed to live with their mothers for up to 18 months. (Here and here are accounts of mother-infant bonding in jail.)

Thankfully, there are many human rights organizations, not just the ACLU, fighting for these mothers. Gail Smith, executive director of the group Chicago Legal Advocacy for Incarcerated Mothers, equates the shackling of laboring inmates with torture: “I think that there is a general attitude on the part of some people that they don’t deserve to be treated with full human rights, and I find that appalling.”

Devastatingly, jailed mothers are not given equal protection under the law. There is sure to be intense mistreatment if the mother is not informed and is not taken to a facility of doctors and midwives who will fight for a woman’s right to birth, even in the states that have banned shackled birth. The Chicago Tribune recently wrote an article, emphasizing one woman’s horrific ordeal. My prayer is that human decency will prevail and women will receive protection for the most sacred act they can perform: childbirth.

I am committing myself to discovering the laws in my own state, researching what organizations are fighting to protect jailed women and their babies, and writing an op-ed piece in my local paper to expose this monstrosity. Would you do the same? We must fight for our most basic human rights and stop treating women in a manner that can be equated to many Muslim nations.

Related Posts

  • breaking my left arm…. a year laterbreaking my left arm…. a year later
  • {Early Literacy Stage 2} Tactile Uppercase Letter Writing{Early Literacy Stage 2} Tactile Uppercase Letter Writing
  • Happy Easter! {“He is Risen” Free Printable Poster}Happy Easter! {“He is Risen” Free Printable Poster}
  • best scented salt dough ornamentsbest scented salt dough ornaments
« Author Spotlight: Margaret Wise Brown
Author Spotlight: Maryann Cusimano Love »


Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Connect

Amy is a former Kindergarten teacher, M.Ed., turned homeschooling mom. Sharing her imperfect life and her love of teaching & learning, reading, herbal remedies, parenting and more.
Read More →

Search

NEWSLETTER

Join 30,000+ other subscribers! Receive weekly email updates and free printables, and as a thank you, you’ll receive my Early Literacy Stages eBook, 24 Preschool Chants, and the ABC Lego Cards for free!

banner-001 Shop Montessori Services

Favorite Posts

1legos 1quiet memories 1act 1chants 1closet hyp note classical dots 15act 1reggio 1turtle 1around 1bible1 sidebar bible1 crafts reggiomath essentialoils print

To Note

Unless otherwise stated, all words and photos on this blog belong to Wildflower Ramblings. You may pin from my site, but do not use a photo, or any text, without my permission. All content is copyrighted.   This is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links on the sidebars and in posts. I only share products that I love and enjoy with my family. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, I receive a small commission. Occasionally, I will receive products free of charge and share them here.  Words and opinions expressed will always be my own. Please email me with questions or comments. Thank you for visiting.
Logo Whimsy Workshop Teaching

Categories

Archives

More

Copyright © 2021 · Wildflower Ramblings [footer_backtotop] · Genesis Framework · WordPress