Pregnant women in America’s prisons are being shackled to their beds and cells. Others are being sterilized, some say, against their will. Correctional institutions claim the policies are for safety’s sake, and that consent is always obtained.  But others see a larger pattern at work. On this edition, from shackling to sterilization, thousands of incarcerated people are struggling to maintain control over their own reproductive health.

Featuring:

Courtney Hooks, Justice Now! campaign and communications director; Tina Reynolds, Women on the Rise Telling HerStory (WORTH) co-founder and chair; Samantha Rogers, California Coalition for Women Prisoners program assistant; Karen Shain, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children former policy director; Victoria Law, “Resistance Behind Bars” author ; Kimberly, formerly incarcerated mother; Joe Higgins, Rappahannock Regional Jail Superintendent; Carolyn Sulfrin, former prison nurse;

For More Information:

California Coalition for Women Prisoners

Women on the Rise Telling HerStory

Legal Services for Prisoners with Children

Birthing Behind Bars

SPARK Reproductive Justice Now

Justice Now

Nation Inside

Critical Resistance

Transgender Gender Variant Intersex Justice

California Prison Moratorium Project

All of Us or None

National Advocate for Pregnant Women

The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

Strong Families

ACLU of Northern California

The Movement to Stop Prisons From Shackling Women in Labor Builds

The post Making Contact – Our Bodies, Our Stories: Reproductive Health Behind Bars appeared first on KPFA.