Dignam Brett, Adashi Eli Y
Professor of Law at Columbia Law School, Columbia University, New York, USA.
Professor of Medical Science at The Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
Health Hum Rights. 2014 Dec 11;16(2):E13-23.
Rationalized for decades on security grounds, perinatal shackling entails the application of handcuffs, leg irons, and/or waist shackles to the incarcerated woman prior to, during, and after labor and delivery. During labor and delivery proper, perinatal shackling may entail chaining women to the hospital bed by the ankle, wrist, or both. Medically untenable, legally challenged, and ever controversial, perinatal shackling remains the standard of practice in most US states despite sustained two-decades-long efforts by health rights legal advocates, human rights organizations, and medical professionals. Herein we review the current statutory, regulatory, legal, and medical framework undergirding the use of restraints on pregnant inmates and explore potential avenues of redress and relief to this challenge. We also recognize the courage of the women whose stories are being told. If history is any guide, the collective thrust of domestic and international law, attendant litigation, dedicated advocacy, and strength of argument bode well for continued progress toward restraint-free pregnancies in correctional settings.
基于安全理由，围产期束缚在数十年间被合理化，即在分娩前、分娩期间和分娩后，对被监禁的女性使用手铐、脚镣和/或腰铐。在实际分娩过程中，围产期束缚可能包括将女性的脚踝、手腕或两者都锁在医院的床上。围产期束缚在医学上站不住脚，面临法律挑战，且一直存在争议，尽管健康权法律倡导者、人权组织和医学专业人员进行了长达二十年的持续努力，但在美国大多数州，它仍是标准做法。在此，我们回顾了当前关于对怀孕囚犯使用约束措施的法律、监管、法律和医学框架，并探讨应对这一挑战的潜在补救和救济途径。我们也认可那些故事被讲述出来的女性的勇气。如果以历史为鉴，国内和国际法律的共同推动、相关诉讼、专门的倡导以及有力的论据，预示着在惩教机构实现无约束妊娠方面将继续取得进展。
