Sponsors (26)
The bill substantially expands timely, specialized, and rights-protective OB-GYN care and transparency for incarcerated women—likely improving maternal health—at the cost of higher federal spending, operational and administrative burdens, and some privacy and implementation risks.
Incarcerated women, especially pregnant women, will get more timely and comprehensive OB-GYN care (14-day intake evaluations, on-site full-time board-certified OB-GYNs, contraception, prenatal/postpartum care, cancer screening), improving maternal and reproductive health outcomes.
Women in BOP custody will receive stronger patient protections and higher-quality care (trauma-informed care, language access, prohibition on denying referred specialist care for cost/staffing, and required timely transport), reducing barriers to needed treatment and protecting rights.
Pregnant incarcerated people and the public will benefit from increased transparency and oversight because annual reporting on pregnancy outcomes and OB-GYN staffing (vacancies and durations) lets Congress and agencies identify understaffed or poor-performing facilities and target corrective action.
Taxpayers and the federal government will face higher costs because the BOP must hire full-time board-certified OB-GYNs and likely increase staffing and salaries to meet the mandate.
BOP operations and women in custody could face disruptions because short vacancy-fill deadlines, rural/remote staffing challenges, and the requirement for on-site specialists may force costly locum tenens use, facility reorganization, transfers, or added security/transport resources.
The Bureau of Prisons and taxpayers may incur additional administrative burden and costs because collecting, preparing, and publishing detailed facility- and provider-level pregnancy and staffing data will require extra staff time and resources.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Requires each federal prison housing women to employ a full-time board-certified OB-GYN, ensure timely OB-GYN visits and comprehensive reproductive and pregnancy care, and report facility-level data to Congress.
Requires the Bureau of Prisons to ensure access to obstetrician-gynecologist care for all female federal prisoners by hiring at least one full-time, American Board-certified OB-GYN at every facility that houses women. It mandates an initial OB-GYN visit within 14 days of intake, a set of required reproductive and pregnancy-related services, patient protections (informed consent, the right to refuse non-emergency care, language access), use of trauma-informed care, timely referrals and transport, and rapid filling of OB-GYN vacancies. The Director must also send Congress an initial report within one year and annual reports with facility- and provider-level staffing and pregnancy outcome data.
Introduced February 26, 2026 by Valerie Foushee · Last progress February 26, 2026