The Right to Abortion: Female Prisoners in America

A rising majority of this nations' prisoners are women. In Washington state, the rate of female arrests and convictions has risen 38.5 percent in only 5 years. Most of these women are inside for small drug violations, revenge for domestic abuse, or theft of property, leaving behind children and family. Stuck in jails which were not built to accommodate this influx of new prisoners who are often coming off withdrawal or experiences psychological problems. Afraid, abused, ill, and vulnerable, there have been over 10 cases of rape in America just this year, where 2 became impregnated by prison guards or night watchmen. Most when trying to report the incident are turned or away or swept under the rug. Rape which is sometimes taken lightly by judges, is so often overlooked in cases of female prisoners and prison employees.

US Justice Department

The cases that make it to be seriously looked at, are often involving guards who have been previously arrested, often convicted felons who were "encouraged" by facility to legally erase their prisons records. Theft, rape, manslaughter, and assault conviction are only the beginning of the arrest shown on released Correction officers records. Guards who look at females inapproapetlyin the showers, or grope them in a sexual way during pat down are not reprimanded or closely monitored after complaints. Three years before prison guard Edmond Hook who worked in a Detroit Local prison sexually assaulted and impregnated inmate T'Nasa Harris, officials at the Camp Brighton facility near Pinckney received an anonymous letter claiming he was a "sexual predator." but to no avail. Eight months later, Hook, forced inmate Tiffany Gilmore to touch his genitals. The next month, he sexually assaulted Harris, 29, a mother of three young children. Despite these events and complaints to guard supervisors, he was never fired or arrested.

Pregnancy in Jail

A small percentage of women arrive at our correctional facilities already pregnant, with the majority who become pregnant during their term, impregnated by prison employees. These women face a choice; give birth often shacked to a hospital bed, (with the child immediately removed) or terminate the pregnancy. The women who choose to terminate, due to financial instability, long prison terms, previous children, or drug and domestic abuse often cannot do so. The UCLU (Civil Liberties Union) has brought a class action suit to protect the rights to an abortion in a caring a timely fashion, after the outcry of inmates who were denied an abortion, forced to terminate against their will, or made to get a court order. Prisoners need the right to be transported to a clean clinic of their choice to receive termination. Imagine the grief of the hardest choice a person could ever make, with the weight of lockup. If America is so free, why do our women regardless of their situation, not have the choice of life? A safe life... even in prison, where they can make up for their mistakes, and decide what is best for their unborn child. With rapes, beatings, fights, restricted birthing, limited prenatal, abortion delays, no counseling and no drug treatment, what choice do these women have to lead a productive life as equal members of the US?

scources: Missouri Pregnant prisoners
Edmond Hook Story