ATLANTA – State Representative Keisha Waites (D-Atlanta) recently pre-filed House Bill 8 for the 2017 legislative session, legislation that would prohibit the use of restraints, including handcuffs and shackles, on pregnant inmates during labor, delivery or post-delivery recovery.
“The use of restraints on pregnant women significantly increases medical risks associated with childbirth,” said Rep. Waites. “This harmful practice is not only painful and belittling, but also unnecessary as women who are pregnant, in labor or postpartum recovery pose particularly low flight and safety risks. The federal government has adopted an anti-shackling policy, and a handful of states have passed legislation limiting or restricting the use of restraints on incarcerated pregnant women, but this defilement of human dignity continues to occur in violation of these advancements. I hope my colleagues in the General Assembly will support this vital legislation. We must protect these women and their precious children.”
HB 8 will be formally introduced during the 2017 legislative session of the Georgia General Assembly.
For more information about HB 8, please click here.
Representative Keisha Waites represents the citizens of District 60, which includes portions of Clayton and Fulton counties. She was elected into the House of Representatives in 2012, and currently serves on the Interstate Cooperation, Juvenile Justice, Public Safety & Homeland Security, Special Rules, and Transportation committees.
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