Demand Dignity for Pregnant and Postpartum New Yorkers

The message:

Last month, a woman arrested on low-level charges gave birth in a Brooklyn courtroom with her hands cuffed behind her back, while court staff looked on. No New Yorker should have to endure this kind of dangerous and cruel indignity. 

Pregnant and postpartum people deserve health care, compassion, and support – not surveillance and punishment. Four bills currently before the legislature would protect the health and dignity of pregnant New Yorkers, moms, and their infants across the state.

Take Action:

Tell state lawmakers we need laws that protect and respect pregnant and postpartum New Yorkers. 

The recipients:

Governor Hochul
Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins
Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie
Your Legislative Representatives 

Collage of a pregnant person, a person in a hospital gown, and handcuffs.

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Your Message

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Message

Last month, a woman arrested on low-level charges gave birth in a Brooklyn courtroom with her hands cuffed behind her back, while court staff looked on. No New Yorker should have to endure this kind of dangerous and cruel indignity. 

I’m asking you to pass four bills that would prevent this inhumane treatment and protect the rights and dignity of pregnant New Yorkers and moms across the state. 

1. Prohibiting Restraints

Our state has outlawed the use of shackles on pregnant and postpartum New Yorkers in jails and prisons. But we must extend this crucial protection to other custodial settings – including courthouses, police stations, and hospitals by passing A.1670-A / S.2667-B.

2. Safeguarding Prenatal Care

No New Yorker should have to fear seeking health care during their pregnancy. Yet pregnant patients and their newborns, especially low-income women and women of color, are frequently drug tested without their knowledge or consent for no medical reason. These discriminatory tests can have devastating consequences for families and violate patients’ trust. Lawmakers must urgently pass the Maternal Health, Dignity, and Consent Act (S.845-A/A.860-A) to remove this harmful barrier to prenatal care.
 
3. Caring for Incarcerated Moms  

New York is failing to provide people who are incarcerated with adequate pre- and post-natal health care and opportunities to bond with their newborns. The CARE Act (A.4849-A / S.4583-A) would require New York prisons and jails to provide pregnant and postpartum New Yorkers and their children with the health care and humane treatment that everyone deserves.

Another bill (A.1607-A/S.2666-A) would guarantee access to breast pumps, milk storage, lactation support, and infant formula in prisons and jails to ensure that no one is denied the opportunity to nourish their child just because they are incarcerated.

Ensuring these basic rights will help parents and children build stronger bonds and keep families together.

I’m counting on you to stick up for pregnant New Yorkers by passing these bills.  

Sincerely,

[First Name] [Last Name]

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Demand Dignity for Pregnant and Postpartum New Yorkers

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