{"id":23956,"date":"2024-07-31T17:05:24","date_gmt":"2024-07-31T21:05:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/?post_type=press-releases&p=23956"},"modified":"2024-07-31T17:05:25","modified_gmt":"2024-07-31T21:05:25","slug":"watch-sen-ossoffs-investigation-uncovers-pervasive-abuse-of-pregnant-women-in-prison","status":"publish","type":"press-releases","link":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/press-releases\/watch-sen-ossoffs-investigation-uncovers-pervasive-abuse-of-pregnant-women-in-prison\/","title":{"rendered":"WATCH: Sen. Ossoff\u2019s Investigation Uncovers Pervasive Abuse of Pregnant Women in Prison"},"content":{"rendered":"

WATCH: Full hearing video here<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Ossoff\u2019s investigation uncovers evidence of women being forced to undergo C-sections against their will; pregnant women being shackled; women who gave birth unassisted into toilets, on floors<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms. Jessica \u201cDrew\u201d Umberger, who was incarcerated in Georgia, testified she was forced to undergo a C-section & later had to pay for the procedure, despite not wanting it [<\/strong><\/em>VIDEO CLIP HERE<\/em><\/strong><\/a>]<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms. Karine Laboy, mother of Tianna Laboy, testified that her daughter gave birth \u201cinto a prison toilet\u201d despite her daughter\u2019s pleas for help<\/em> [<\/em><\/strong>VIDEO CLIP HERE<\/em><\/strong><\/a>]<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Washington, D.C.<\/strong> \u2014 U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff\u2019s investigation has uncovered pervasive abuse of pregnant women in prison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Ossoff, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Human Rights Subcommittee, today revealed that his investigation has uncovered pervasive abuse of pregnant women in prison, including women who were forced to undergo C-sections against their will, pregnant women who were shackled around their stomachs (despite the practice being widely illegal already), and women who gave birth unassisted while imprisoned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms. Jessica \u201cDrew\u201d Umberger, who was incarcerated while pregnant in a Georgia state prison, testified that she was required, despite her wishes, to undergo a c-section, faced medical complications after the procedure, and then was kept in solitary confinement for 3 weeks after giving birth, without access to basic supplies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms. Karine Laboy, mother of Tianna Laboy, testified during today\u2019s hearing that her daughter gave birth \u201cinto a prison toilet\u201d despite her daughter\u2019s pleas for help while imprisoned in York, Connecticut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was most scared the morning I was to give birth. I was told by prison staff that because I had a c-section 18 years prior, it was Georgia Department of Corrections\u2019 policy that I had to have another one. Even though I told them I wanted to have a vaginal birth, they told me it was not allowed. It is my strong belief that the prison staff wanted me to have a c-section to fit my birth into their hospital transport schedule. God had other plans,\u201d Ms. Umberger testified [<\/strong>VIDEO CLIP HERE<\/strong><\/a>].<\/strong> \u201cI ended up with pre-eclampsia and had to be rushed to a hospital. This is where my trauma turned for the worse. I was dropped off with officers I did not know at a hospital and was in a surgery room surrounded by strangers: doctors who never examined me and nurses I\u2019d never met. When I explained to the doctor that I was told I had to have a c-section but that I wanted a natural birth, the doctor said it sounded like \u2018coercion\u2019 to him.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy beautiful Jordyn was born August 15, 2018. I had only two short hours to hold and look at my baby. This would be the last time I would see her for a few years \u2014 about 3 years. We were separated, she was taken to the Neonatal Unit, and I was taken to a dark basement, where they kept incarcerated people. In the basement, I was transferred from the rolling bed to a stationary bed. I had to be helped by a couple of nurses as I could not feel my legs. I remember the nurse asking the male Sergeant to step out so she could clean me up, and he replied, \u2018I can\u2019t do that ma\u2019am.\u2019 She looked me in the eyes and quietly said, \u2018I\u2019m sorry,\u2019 and proceeded to clean my private areas while the male sergeant watched,\u201d Ms. Umberger continued [<\/strong>VIDEO CLIP HERE<\/strong><\/a>].<\/strong> \u201cThe next few days I remember random men looking every hour into that small window of the locked door. I remember seeing feet of people walking by my \u2018caged\u2019 window and thinking, \u2018if people only knew what was happening down here, what would they say, or would they even care?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms. Umberger testified she was transported to Lee Arrendale State Prison three days after giving birth and unable to say goodbye to her child. She said that no one checked on my mental health postpartum and she was never screened for postpartum depression. Ms. Umberger said,<\/strong> \u201cI was not given my property and therefore could not shower properly. I had been wearing the same underwear from the day I gave birth and did not have a change of underwear. When I would ask for pads, I was given one, maybe two if I was lucky … I was put in solitary when my baby was only five days old.\u201d [<\/strong>VIDEO CLIP HERE<\/strong><\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms. Karine Laboy told the heartbreaking story of how her daughter, Tianna, gave birth in the prison facility, despite repeated pleas for help, and how Karine\u2019s granddaughter nearly died during childbirth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOn February 9, my daughter started experiencing labor symptoms, abdominal pain, and discharge. Medical and correctional staff dismissed her pleas, providing only a heating pad and instructing her to \u2018lie down\u2019 for 4 more agonizing days. She told me she felt like a \u2018caged animal\u2019 throughout her pregnancy at York \u2014 which pains me to this day,\u201d Ms. Karine Laboy testified [<\/strong>VIDEO CLIP HERE<\/strong><\/a>].<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy daughter began bleeding while using the toilet. She called for help, but nobody responded. Security camera footage shows my daughter placing a t-shirt between her legs, grasping the prison walls for support as she tried to walk to breakfast. When she came back, she sat on the toilet. The t-shirt was completely bloody, and she began to scream for help when she realized her baby was coming. Nobody came. My granddaughter was born into the toilet bowl. She was unresponsive and not breathing once she was outside my daughter\u2019s body.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf not for my daughter\u2019s quick thinking and her cellmate\u2019s help to pat my granddaughter\u2019s back and get the water out of her, she would not be alive today. When prison medical staff finally arrived, their response was cruel and insensitive. They joked that my granddaughter had \u2018took her first swim\u2019 and proceeded to cut her umbilical cord inside a dirty prison cell\u2014disregarding the dignity and well-being of both my daughter and her granddaughter,\u201d Laboy continued [<\/strong>VIDEO CLIP HERE<\/strong><\/a>].<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Ossoff\u2019s investigation found examples of women who were denied standard postpartum care or had postpartum complications that the jails or prisons housing them did not adequately address. The investigation also uncovered several reports of new mothers being separated from their newborn moments after giving birth, despite the known importance of early mother infant bonding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Carolyn Sufrin, Associate Professor Obstetrics and Gynecology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Associate Professor of Health, Behavior and Society at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Fellow at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, testified that more action is needed to protect pregnant women who are incarcerated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe time is long past due to change conditions for incarcerated pregnant and postpartum women. They deserve access to comprehensive, quality medical care. We must recognize the connections between the maternal mortality crisis and incarceration, and we can start by collecting national scale data that link maternal health outcomes with incarceration,\u201d Dr. Sufrin testified.<\/strong> \u201cBecause without data, we cannot know the full scope of the problems \u2014 and their solutions. Our nation\u2019s conscience must see that what happens \u2014 or does not happen \u2014 to pregnant women behind bars is a human rights issue. The time to act is now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

# # #<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WATCH: Full hearing video here Sen. Ossoff\u2019s investigation uncovers evidence of women being forced to undergo C-sections against their will; pregnant women being shackled; women who gave birth unassisted into toilets, on floors Ms. Jessica \u201cDrew\u201d Umberger, who was incarcerated in Georgia, testified she was forced to undergo a C-section & later had to pay […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":70,"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23956","press-releases","type-press-releases","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases\/23956","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press-releases"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/70"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases\/23956\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23958,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases\/23956\/revisions\/23958"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23956"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23956"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}