“Bureau of Prisons Revises Policy on Shackling of Pregnant Inmates”

That's the headline that caught my attention yesterday. It’s hard to know whether to laugh or cry.

Here’s the good news. The Federal Bureau of Prisons has finally updated their policies to bar the shackling of pregnant women inmates in federal prisons in all but the most extreme circumstances.

The story was reported Monday by the ACLU at the Daily Kos.

The bad news is that for years the shackling of pregnant women during transport, labor and even delivery has apparently been routine in jails and prisons. Even after the international human rights group Amnesty International released a major report: NOT PART OF MY SENTENCE: VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS OF WOMEN IN CUSTODY back in 1999.

In that report, women like Warnice Robinson, who was imprisoned for shoplifting, described being shackled to a bed for delivery, which made well, delivering, all but impossible. “My baby was coming but I couldn’t open my legs," reported Robinson. The doctor attending had no keys to the shackles and the officer with the keys was down the hall.

The new policy is a big victory for activists who have been working on this issue, reports the ACLU.  “A HUGE VICTORY,” is the phrase used on the blogs.

But jeez. In 47 states there’s no legislation to restrict the practice of shackling pregnant women? The Immigration and Customs Enforcement people, (whose detainees have been convicted of no crime) refuses to give up the practice. 

Come on.  Now that the president-elect has promised to shut down Guantanamo – can we add to his list somewhere the passing of a law permitting inmates in childbirth to spread their legs, shackle free?  While we're at it -- could the next president please remind the agencies of his governmet -- which is to say our government -- that even when people are female, or incarcerated, or pregnant -- or even forbid all of the above, they are still actually people, even in America -- with human rights -- which, "We the People's" government will enforce?  Is that too much to ask?