We Need to Stop Shackling Pregnant Women in Prison—Now.

Last week, Washington DC councilmember David Grosso introduced a bill that would keep jails from shackling women during any point of their pregnancy and for six weeks after they've given birth.

“I have introduced this legislation because it is an important human rights issue that must be addressed in D.C.," said Grosso.

Washington DC has one of only a handful of American jail and prison systems that prohibits shackling during childbirth, but only after incarcerated women filed a class action lawsuit. In 1996, a district court ruled in their favor, banning the practice as cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth Amendment. The district continues to shackle women during the early parts of pregnancy, though. The new bill would change that.

Read the entire article at We Need to Stop Shackling Pregnant Women in Prison—Now.