Sponsors (19)
The bill substantially raises protections, health care, and accountability for pregnant and postpartum people in federal and immigration custody — reducing harm and increasing transparency — while imposing meaningful costs, operational challenges, and new litigation risks for facilities and taxpayers.
Pregnant and postpartum people in federal and immigration custody will be largely protected from shackling and prolonged restrictive housing from pregnancy confirmation through at least 12 weeks postpartum, reducing physical and mental harms during pregnancy, labor, and early postpartum.
Pregnant and postpartum incarcerated people will get substantially better health care and supports — timely prenatal screening and education (within 14 days), evidence-based substance‑use and mental‑health screening, high‑risk obstetrical care, contraception and STI access on request, lactation support, and minimum immediate postnatal bonding time — improving maternal and infant health outcomes.
Correctional, immigration, and detention staff must receive standardized training and technical assistance on pregnancy, labor, postpartum needs, and alternatives to restraints, which should raise baseline competency and more consistent care across federal, state, and local facilities.
Federal, state, and local correctional and detention facilities — and ultimately taxpayers — will face substantial increased costs for training, staff time, medical services, facility modifications (housing, transport, nutrition), lactation equipment, and expanded reporting and oversight obligations.
Operational and implementation burdens — tight training and reporting timelines, staffing and space constraints, and logistics for timely prenatal services/transfers/bonding periods — could strain facilities, cause compliance gaps, or delay access to intended protections in practice.
Multiple provisions create or increase exposure to litigation (private rights of action, reporting failures, alleged care violations), which could raise legal defense and settlement costs for agencies and divert resources from services.
Based on analysis of 13 sections of legislative text.
Restricts use of restraints and solitary confinement for pregnant and postpartum incarcerated women, requires training, care standards, data collection, mother–infant programs, reporting, and private legal remedies.
Official title: To address the health needs of incarcerated women related to pregnancy and childbirth, and for other purposes.
Introduced May 7, 2026 by Sydney Kamlager-Dove · Last progress May 7, 2026
Requires federal prison, immigration, and refugee custody systems — and encourages state and local correctional facilities — to provide training, policies, data collection, and services that protect pregnant, birthing, and postpartum incarcerated women. Prohibits routine use of restraints and restrictive housing for pregnant women through at least 12 weeks postpartum, establishes reporting and civil remedies, and mandates access to prenatal, postpartum, lactation, and mother–infant bonding programs. Sets new data collection and reporting duties for BJS, DHS, HHS, and the Bureau of Prisons; requires training and written protocols for staff who supervise pregnant people in custody; directs transfers and medical care for high‑risk pregnancies; and creates private rights of action and recurring reporting to Congress on restrictive‑housing placements and related administrative remedies.