AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - A Maine legislative committee has endorsed a bill that would prohibit the shackling of pregnant inmates.
The Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee voted 7-4 in favor of Democratic Sen. Anne Haskell’s bill on Friday.
The measure would prohibit jails and prisons from using the restraints on pregnant prisoners during childbirth and post-delivery recuperation, unless she’s a flight risk or there’s an extraordinary medical or security need.
Haskell says that the practice puts the health and safety of the mother and child at risk.
The American Civil Liberties Union says that 25 states limit the use of restraints on pregnant inmates. The ACLU of Maine said in a statement that all other New England states have outlawed “this dangerous and inhumane practice.”
The measure now heads to the full Senate.
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