It should be illegal to imprison a pregnant woman.

Are men shackeled during medical procedures?

obviously there are safety issues here, but the issue seems to be that women are being shackeled to their beds during a medical procedure. A rational person would ask if a similar policy were in place for men, and ask why women require a differnt policy beyond the medical safety issue.

If you want to discuss medical saftey for a procedure that one thing. This discussion takes place in a air of treating mommyies a criminals, which of course over looks the fact that these particular mommies are in fact criminals.

So, are men restrained when they pass a gaul stone? that's the issue that needs to be addressed first if your issue is equality. Otherwise all you are doing is feedining into the diefication of mommies, and the dimunization of women.

My ex-wife is a doctor. One thing I learned when she began her residency is that prisoners have a right to medical care. It does not matter whether they killed their family with a rusty knife or kited a check. Even if this myrtyr who gave birth in shackles could not run away she still can pose a threat to those who are forced to care for her. I say forced, because that is actually what we do to resident doctors, that is if they want their degree. Most of the nurses would also work with other patients if they could afford it. The next time a doctor gets a shive in the eye from one of his patients (it happens guys) I suggest you run it on broadsheet next to this article.

Here's mud in your eye.

I am totally in favor of not shackling men who are in the process of giving birth.

I'm sure men made these rules. They think a woman in labor will desperately try to escape, and hurt themselves and the baby. Cuz, y'know, all evil evil laws are always to 'protect' babies, or people from themselves...

I'm sure they're all good Christian men who made these rules, no doubt.

When they have to give birth- much different than any 'medical procedure' a man will go through- they can talk. It's mentally and physically cruel and unusual.

I agree, let's not shackle the men when they give birth. I have noticed the guys saying it's fair- whatever. Obviously uninformed, and I didn't realize passing a gallstone(or kidney stone, usually they snatch your gall bladder out at the presence of stones-duh) involved days of labor or the stone perhaps weighs in at an average of 6.5 pounds? Having had both a baby and a stone- I'd have to say the baby was a much more difficult delivery. Guys? It's a myth that passing a stone is the same, men just must have a low tolerance for pain. ;-)

Thank you for covering this issue. It really was surprising to learn that this takes place in New York State. What kind of flight risk is there for a woman in labor anyway?

your point about doctors having a right not to get shivved is a good one. I wonder if ALL prisoners taken to the infirmary are ALWAYS handcuffed the entire time because of this concern. If not, then the point is moot and the bill should be passed.

Certainly no need to go all bizarro-world and start screaming about pardon and deification for the pregnant prisoners. Sheesh.

As the author of the post pointed out, restraining women in labor can have a negative effect on the baby not just the mother. I admit to being of the free flowin' liberal love persuasion, but I would think that one thing we all could agree on would be that it is wrong to endanger babies. Someone brought up that someone might "shive" a doctor in the eye, well, in the case of childbirth where one is stripped naked and given a gown I highly doubt the ability of anyone to smuggle a weapon under those circumstances.

Of course they should not be shackled during labor but not because they are mommies to be but because the requirement of the procedure all but requires arm movement. But once the baby is born they get soft restraints just like every other prisoner would after surgery.

But this nonsense I am totally in favor of not shackling men who are in the process of giving birth. and When they have to give birth- much different than any 'medical procedure' a man will go through- they can talk. and I agree, let's not shackle the men when they give birth. I have noticed the guys saying it's fair- whatever. Obviously uninformed, and I didn't realize passing a gallstone(or kidney stone, usually they snatch your gall bladder out at the presence of stones-duh) involved days of labor or the stone perhaps weighs in at an average of 6.5 pounds? Having had both a baby and a stone- I'd have to say the baby was a much more difficult delivery. Guys? It's a myth that passing a stone is the same, men just must have a low tolerance for pain. ;-)

What sexist bullshit. A stone can take days to pass and it is passing though a tube that is measured in millimeters while a baby while much larger also passes though an opening that is larger. Sometimes it will be more painful for one sometimes for the other never mind that dudes that have been shived also are handcuffed and I cant image that feels like a walk in the park. But, continue to play the mommy card when ever the rules are not "fair".

Come on, we all know the truth here — a child born to a woman who is doing jail time is not ever going to turn out well. All this hand-wringing over the mother and the baby is just liberal rubbish.

Think about it. What judge would sentence a pregnant woman — unless there was very good reason? Criminality probably runs bone deep in those women — as deep as their DNA, or their skin color. If you get my drift.

No, those children are going to just spend a few years learning to be criminals themselves, and then end up right where their mothers (and probably fathers, let's be honest) are today.

Given that fact, there's really only one thing to do: handcuff the mother and the baby, as soon as it's born. Lock the newborn up from day 1, and throw away the key.

Otherwise, if you start listening to all those hippie freaks, next thing you know we're all going to start wondering why in god's green earth we're locking so many people up in the first place, and when the land of the free became a gigantic, nation-sized penal colony.

And that will make our heads hurt.