Doulas Behind Bars

RH Reality Check has an interview with Christy Hall of The Birth Attendants, an organization of doulas in Washington State who have launched The Prison Doula Project to provide “incarcerated women in the Washington Correction Center for Women (WCCW) with desperately needed pregnancy, labor and post-partum doula services.”

Christy’s experiences supporting pregnancy women in prison are sometimes quite disturbing:

“In Washington and Oregon there are not laws about women being shackled but the Department of Corrections (DOC) in both states have policies in place that allow for it…I’ve seen lots of women shackled during labor and deliver and ultimately it’s up to the discretion of the officer present.“

Those of you who are up on birth know that being in bed flat on your back is second only to standing on your head for inefficient positioning for labor and delivery. Imagine being shackled in the position, against your will, at the discretion of a corrections officer. Through this profile I learned of The Rebecca Project, which is working to pass federal legislation prohibiting the shackling of incarcerated women during labor and delivery.

Hall also describes issues with the care the women receive:

“In prison, you don’t get to choose your provider – not being able to choose who attends your birth is a big deal. Up until recently, in the prison we work in, there was only a male doctor available for labor and delivery. But for many women in prison – a huge number of whom have experienced sexual and domestic violence – having a male provider between your legs is not exactly ideal. Another issue is lack of informed consent – the lack of information and resources around having a healthy pregnancy for these women is huge. They just aren’t given any information on pregnancy, their health, their bodies. The lack of access to proper nutrition during pregnancy is a big problem – the pregnant women in the prison we work with get “extra canteen” which means they get like an extra pack of Fritos.“

She goes on to say, “Also, there is a much higher rate of cesarean sections for women in prison as compared to women on the outside – mostly for the convenience of medical and prison staff.” To reiterate – higher rates of open abdominal surgery, for the convenience of the prison.

Visit RH Reality Check for the rest of the interview.