User:Earredondo17/Reproductive health care for incarcerated women in the United States

User:Earredondo17/Reproductive health care for incarcerated women in the United States

The practice of shackling inmates, both in transit to the hospital and during labor, is also common at many facilities. Forty-one states permit the use of restraints during transport to the hospital, and twenty-three states and the federal government permit the use of restraints during labor. These restraints may include belly chains, shackles, handcuffs, or nylon "soft restraints." The use of restraints on women so far into their pregnancy and during labor poses many health risks. Restraints inhibit the movement of a woman, something that aids the progression of the labor and alleviates some of her discomfort. They may also hinder the ability of health care professionals to respond quickly to emergencies during the labor. Organizations such as Amnesty International have pressured correctional facilities to stop the use of shackles on pregnant women, pointing out the fact that most pregnant women are incarcerated for nonviolent offenses and pose no risk (especially during childbirth), so the restraints are unnecessary. Maria Jones, a pregnant inmate, described her experience being shackled during labor:"Because I was shackled to the bed, they couldn't remove the lower part of the bed for the delivery, and they couldn't put my feet in the stirrups. My feet were still shackled together, and I couldn't get my legs apart. The doctor called for the officer, but the officer had gone down the hall. No one else could unlock the shackles, and my baby was coming but I couldn't open my legs."

Access to Female Hygiene Products
Inadequate access to female menstrual products inhibits the health of incarcerated females. In 2016, New York passed the first law requiring correctional facilities to provide free feminine hygiene products, and in 2018, the FIRST STEP Act, required federal correctional facilities to provide free feminine hygiene products to prisoners. In federal prisons, feminine hygiene products can be purchased at a commissary or a canteen at inflated prices. Some states have enacted legislation requiring or ensuring adequate access to menstrual products in state prisons. As of 2020, 13 states (AL, CA, CO, CT, FL, KY, LA, MD, NY, TN, TX, VA) and Washington, D.C. have enacted legislation requiring free access to such products. However, reports from different States indicate that free feminine hygiene products are less absorbent than industry standard products that can only be purchased in the canteen. In a survey conducted at The Missouri Department of Corrections it was found that even though free sanitary napkins were provided, 80.3 per cent of respondents to the survey reported that they had created tampons themselves because of poor absorption and had reported problems related to increased reproductive and urinary tract infections.