Shackle a Pregnant Woman? Yes, If She's In Prison

California has recently outlawed the shackling of pregnant women in prison during childbirth. However, the policy is legal in 33 states as women may be shackled to their hospital beds during the birthing process. In addition to women in prison who may be shackled, undocumented women in ICE holding facilities may also be chained even though they have been convicted of no crime. Shackling can include waist chains, leg irons, and handcuffing behind the body.  

Alicia M. Walters of the ACLU of Northern California said, "Pregnant women are the most vulnerable and the least threatening in the prison system and should rarely, if ever, be restrained."

Nonetheless, many proponents of shackling pregnant women say that these women are a danger to the public if they give birth in hospitals and are likely to be escapees. Deputy Chief of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office John J. MacIntyre is among them.

Many doctors and nurses say that chaining women during any stage of pregnancy and especially during childbirth is harmful to mothers' health and the health of babies. The American Medical Association, in a 2010 resolution, deemed shackling of pregnant women to be "barbaric," unsafe, and "medically hazardous."

SBW wants to know how many women have escaped prisons or hospitals during childbirth. 

Learn more about this horrifying practice here.