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“Being pregnant and giving birth are amongst the most memorable experiences in a woman’s life. The postpartum experience should be one of bonding between a mother and her child. However, this experience is much different for women who are in prison. Shackled until the moment they give birth—with only law enforcement and a doctor present, with no family or support person present—giving birth while incarcerated is one of the most inhumane experiences a woman can go through. The postpartum experience for incarcerated women is not one of mother to child bonding; the women are only given 24 to 48 hours with their newborn until their baby is taken away. And, they must also endure a period of lactating with no baby to breastfeed and heavy bleeding without access to proper menstrual products. Institutions don’t always give mothers who are in the postpartum phase unrestricted access to hygiene products commonly used by mothers after they give birth—underwear, large sanitary napkins, and other items. Some institutions also don’t have appropriate waste disposal receptacles for said items. …
Individuals in the care, custody, and control of the state do not know … their rights to care.
“‘Currently, we know that individuals in the care, custody, and control of the state do not know what to expect during their pregnancies, nor do they know their rights to care. Clear policies are needed to inform standards of care for pregnant people,’ says Kimberly Haven [Leading with Conviction™ 2020], a formerly incarcerated individual and Executive Director of Reproductive Justice Inside (RJI). ‘With the medical and legal expertise of members of our coalition, and informed by the voices of the directly impacted, [our organization] has developed the first comprehensive Model Pregnancy Policy manual that covers specific subjects such as pregnancy testing, prenatal care, high risk pregnancy care, miscarriage management, abortion care access, labor and delivery, postpartum care, counseling and social services.’
“Some facilities create systems so women can pump and store breast milk that can later be delivered to the infant, but most don’t allow this. RJI has launched a new initiative that will make it easy for institutions and an individual to pump, providing dedicated refrigerators to institutions. ‘Given everything we know about how important breast milk is for infants, the fact that this is not practice is for me unacceptable,’ said Haven. ‘Individuals should be given the opportunity, supplies, and education to pump their breast milk according to their bodies schedule and to make it available to the caregiver of their infant.’
“Through litigation and advocacy, Reproductive Justice Inside works to secure prenatal and postpartum healthcare rights in prisons and jails throughout the country, attempting to end the barbaric practice of women giving birth while shackled and protect the health of incarcerated women and their babies.
“‘Let’s make maternal health and healthy birth outcomes the priority,’ adds Haven.”
In our 10th anniversary year, JustLeadershipUSA’s work of educating, elevating, and empowering justice-impacted leaders continues and is growing even stronger!
This is going to be a very special time to look back on the past decade of JLUSA’s important work, the 1,600+ leaders we have helped get to the next level in their work, and even more importantly, we will look ahead to the next 10 years and beyond!
We can’t do this without you. We need your support to help us continue to do this work now and into the future. By making a donation in honor of JLUSA’s 10th anniversary year, you are saying to the amazing leaders in our network who represent the 70+ million Americans who have been directly impacted by the criminal legal system, “I see you, and I support you!”
Please give a one-time $100 gift or set up a recurring $10 monthly donation to celebrate JLUSA’s 10th anniversary year, and together we will build a fair and just U.S. Thank you!
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Since 2014, JustLeadershipUSA has maintained our commitment to ensuring systems-impacted voices are at the forefront of the movement for criminal legal reform, empowering directly impacted leaders in over 45 states with the tools, resources, and connections to transform their work.
Your donation will provide crucial support for our leadership training programs, empowering future generations of leaders and propelling the work of JLUSA and our alumni as we continue to advocate and push reform on issues that matter the most in our communities.
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