Shackling pregnant women who are in labor unjustifiably endangers the lives of the pregnant women and their babies. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Public Health Association, the American Medical Women’s Association, and the American College of Nurse Midwives vehemently oppose shackling incarcerated women during labor.
Their efforts led directly to Governor David Paterson signing an Executive Order ending the barabaric practice but also bringing to light an even larger issue: The treatment of Pregnant Women in Prisons.
In our first segment this week, we take a look at a special report by the ACLU detailing the experience of Bethany Cajune, who was five months pregnant when she voluntarily reported to Montana’s Lake County Detention Facility. This past March, Bethany voluntarily reported to the detention facility to complete an outstanding short-term sentence for traffic violations. At that time, she was approximately four to five months pregnant, raising five small children, and attending GED classes four days a week. She was also about to successfully complete her first year in a medication-treatment program for a diagnosed addiction to opioid drugs. What Bethany didn’t know when she reported to the facility was that detention officials would withhold her medication, which was prescribed to suppress withdrawal symptoms and facilitate Bethany’s recovery, and was now critical for protecting the health of her pregnancy.
