Childbirth in Chains

The editorial, Childbirth in Chains, was written to raise awareness to the reality that female impregnated prisoners are not being treated with the care and respect they should be receiving. During transportation to the hospital they’re being shackled down by their ankles, wrists and abdomens which is not only a risk to the baby’s health but the mother’s, as well as the staff/correctional workers in some cases.

This editorial was written towards the people in New York and any other state where this occurs, but it is mainly directed towards the governor of New York: David Paterson. I believe this article was published in hopes that Governor Paterson would read it and realize the severity of the situation at hand. The Legislature has presented him with the opportunity to sign an anti-shackling bill which would officially stop this sort of cruelty that female prisoners in New York face, but for some reason he did not immediately sign this bill.

The author reiterates the idea of how this treatment towards pregnant prisoners is wrong and even bluntly states at the end of the editorial that “he should sign the bill into law and bring New York into line with the federal government and the other states that have wisely acted to protect pregnant inmates and their children during labor.” Obviously you can see their standpoint on this topic and they back up the information they’ve provided with outside credible sources.

This editorial mentions five other known states that have successfully passed the anti-shackling bill and discusses the debate that this bill has caused by bringing up how recent interviews of female inmates by the Correctional Association of New York have led to the notion that “this practice may be more common than corrections officials know.” It also provides links to past coverage of this topic; including people’s experiences of this act which is rather credible in itself.

Referring back to another article posted by the New York Times in early March, a prisoner by the name of Shawanna Nelson went through this “shackling” ordeal and shared her experience. She only received Tylenol to take away her labor pains and was not allowed to have the shackles removed until the minute of her actual labor. This is actually a relatively common issue that many pregnant prisoners face, which is a shame because it’s a small form of human cruelty. It puts a heap of stress on the mother as well as the baby during labor and increases their risk of a compromised delivery. It’s a relief to know that there’s a bill that can protect these women, but the whole method of chaining pregnant women shouldn’t even be an option. I agree completely with this editorial’s author and I feel that it’s necessary to demand that Governor Paterson sign the anti-shackling bill as well as highly encouraging other states that currently follow this treatment for prisoners to stop these careless actions and treat these women with more care and consideration.