The recognition that a woman’s full equality is dependent upon her ability to afford and access reproductive healthcare—from contraception and abortion to prenatal care and obstetric services to breastfeeding support and supplies—underpins our approach to reproductive rights. Ensuring that women who desire to become pregnant are able to have healthy pregnancies, birth experiences, and infants is an essential part of that work. To find out more about our particular work on maternal health in states and localities, see our interactive partner map.
The National Institute has worked with partnered with local and state advocates to highlight the reproductive needs of incarcerated women; provide sexual health education and services inside and outside the prison walls; and deepen relationships with policymakers and prison officials to pass and implement legislation. In several states, we have helped advocates pass laws that prohibit the shackling of incarcerated women who are pregnant.
We are currently working with Prisoners’ Legal Services and the Prison Birth Project and the ACLU of Southern California to implement laws in Massachusetts and California that prohibit the shackling of pregnant incarcerated women.
We previously partnered with Legal Services for Prisoners with Children in San Francisco to build toward California’s statewide anti-shackling ban, and with Aid to Inmate Mothers, which provides health care and services to incarcerated women in Alabama.
We are currently working with Prisoners’ Legal Services and the Prison Birth Project and the ACLU of Southern California to implement laws in Massachusetts and California that prohibit the shackling of pregnant incarcerated women.
We previously partnered with Legal Services for Prisoners with Children in San Francisco to build toward California’s statewide anti-shackling ban, and with Aid to Inmate Mothers, which provides health care and services to incarcerated women in Alabama.
We have also worked with colleague organizations in several states to help connect the dots between policies that protect reproductive autonomy and increase access to reproductive health care across the spectrum. For example, we have helped allies in Oregon shape policy concepts that would provide insurance coverage to all women for all reproductive health care, from abortion care to prenatal care to breastfeeding support.
We have worked with allies in Georgia to educate lawmakers and the public about the deep connections between policies that improve working parents’ access to the range of reproductive health care — including abortion care, prenatal care, and labor and delivery care — and the ability of families in that state to survive and thrive.
