A sweeping new bill to protect pregnant prisoners has been introduced in New York, aiming to end childbirth in jail cells and sharply curtail the use of restraints and solitary confinement for expectant mothers across the state.
The move follows years of growing criticism from medical groups, civil rights lawyers and former inmates who have described women going into labour alone in their cells, being shackled during birth or losing access to routine antenatal care once behind bars.
