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October 10, 2005
CA: Governor Signs Bill to End Shackling of Women During Labor and Delivery
10 Oct 2005
Assemblywoman Sally J. Lieber's (D-San Jose) continuing effort to improve health care for all women in California's prisons was affirmed when the Governor signed Assembly Bill 478 into law yesterday afternoon.
A.B. 478 makes it illegal to deny inmates prenatal and postpartum care, including access to vitamins and a basic dental cleaning, and bans the shackling of women during labor, delivery, and recovery. These inmates typically give birth in a locked hospital ward with armed guards-measures that are more than adequate to protect public safety or to prevent escape.
"The United Nations has established minimum rules for treatment of prisoners and California has not been following them," stated Lieber, adding, "California's regulations concerning medical, dental, and food needs of women in prison need to be updated." In addition to the benefits of adequate pre-natal care, Lieber also commented on the importance of the bill's other provisions noting "It is inconceivable in this day and age, that human beings would be shackled while giving birth."
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists stated, "Physical restraints have interfered with the ability of physicians to safely practice medicine by reducing their ability to assess and evaluate the physical condition of the mother and the fetus, and have similarly made the labor and delivery process more difficult than it needs to be; thus, overall putting the health and lives of the women and unborn children at risk."
This concern was echoed by the California Medical Association, stating, "Prenatal care has consistently been shown to be a cost-effective tool in preventing birth defects and protecting the health of the infant and the mother. Additionally, shackling of a prisoner during childbirth may be unnecessarily uncomfortable and dangerous for the female inmate, while providing little additional public safety protections."
"The California Commission on the Status of Women applauds Assemblywoman Lieber for bringing forward this long-overdue legislation on behalf of incarcerated pregnant women", states Vicki Atwood, Legislative Coordinator for the Commission, "Not only will it establish essential minimum standards of medical care, it will most notably prohibit the archaic, inhumane, and potentially dangerous practice of shackling women during labor."
A.B. 478 passed the Senate and Assembly on votes of 25-11 and 56-22 respectively. The bill also received support from Legal Services for Prisoners with Children, California Medical Association, American Civil Liberties Union, National Association of Social Workers, California Attorneys for Criminal Justice, Planned Parenthood, California Catholic Conference, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, California Association for Nurse Practitioners, Family Council, Friends Committee on Legislation, and California National Organization for Women.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=31786
http://www.asm.ca.gov
Posted by lois at October 10, 2005 10:06 PM