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D.C. Considers Legislation To Expand Rights Of Pregnant Women Behind Bars

The experiences of several women who have given birth at Washington  D.C.'s Correctional Treatment Facility has spurred legislation to expand the rights of new and expecting mothers at the jail, the Washington Post reports. The proposed legislation affirms and clarifies who can support someone during labor and guarantees specialized healthcare and privacy in the delivery room, among other things, and would D.C. in line with states such as New York and California. “If we can help make anything easier for the pregnant women.... or just improve things from the family perspective and keep these families united, we’re here for it,” said Miah Robinson, one of the mothers of the women who gave birth in jail. 


A majority of D.C. Council members have signaled support for the bill, which would limit corrections officers’ presence during labor and in delivery rooms and allow people in custody to have a loved one by their side while they give birth. The bill would also expand access to technology for people giving birth, allowing things that non-incarcerated new parents might take for granted, like the ability to take pictures of a new baby in the delivery room or to talk with other loved ones via speaker phone. Advocates are pushing for the bill to go further by including a provision that explicitly affords the right to sue the Corrections Department for violating its provisions. There have been 19 pregnant people in D.C. Department of Corrections custody so far in 2024, according to the agency, and between 10 and 49 pregnant people in each of the previous five years. A far smaller number of people each year — between zero and four — delivered babies while in custody, according to the data.

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