Then serving time at the Utah state prison on a drug charge, she says she laboured through the difficult 2001 birth for nearly 30 hours, her ankles bleeding as the shackles on both her legs and one arm dug in. Many other states have policies against shackling, but advocates say that without a law it’s harder to stop a practice they condemn as dangerous and inhumane. Preventing a woman from moving during labour increases the risk of potentially life-threatening health risks inherent in childbirth, like blood clots. Tennessee and Arkansas have faced similar lawsuits and are weighing bans on the practice this year, along with South Carolina. She still suffers with anxiety about childbirth but said a law against shackling would be a relief.

Source: National Post March 13, 2019 05:03 UTC