Sponsors (20)
The bill substantially expands protections, standardized care, transparency, and enforceable rights for pregnant and postpartum people in custody—likely improving maternal and infant outcomes—while imposing meaningful costs, operational burdens, and increased litigation exposure on government agencies and facilities.
Pregnant and postpartum people in custody (federal, immigration, and some local settings) will be largely protected from shackling and restrictive housing from pregnancy confirmation through at least 12 weeks postpartum, with required reviews and reporting that reduce physical and mental health harms.
Staff across federal custody settings will receive standardized, recurring training on pregnancy, labor, postpartum care, and related policies, institutionalizing competency and enabling care-informed decisions.
People who are pregnant or postpartum in custody will gain clearer, more timely access to prenatal and obstetrical care, screening/treatment for substance use and mental health (including postpartum depression), contraception and STI testing, and accommodations (housing, bedding, diet), improving maternal and infant health outcomes.
Federal, state, and local facilities and agencies will face substantial new costs (training, medical services, staffing, facility modifications, reporting systems) that will likely increase taxpayer expenditures.
The new private right of action and expanded standards increase litigation risk and potential liability for agencies and facilities, which could lead to legal costs, settlements, and diverted resources from services.
Facilities will face operational and staffing burdens—tight compliance deadlines, added reporting and review procedures, and the need to revise contracts and policies—which could strain personnel, delay other duties, or produce uneven rollouts.
Based on analysis of 13 sections of legislative text.
Bans routine restraints and restrictive housing for pregnant/postpartum women, requires pregnancy care, training, mother–infant programs, data collection, reporting, and private enforcement.
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 correctional and immigration detention systems and facilities that house women to adopt policies, training, data collection, and services to protect pregnant, laboring, and postpartum incarcerated or detained women. The bill bans routine shackling and long-term solitary/restrictive housing for pregnant and postpartum women, mandates medical and correctional training, strengthens access to prenatal/postpartum care and mother–infant bonding programs, and creates reporting, data collection, and private enforcement pathways. Establishes definitions, requires the Bureau of Prisons, DHS, and HHS components to produce guidelines and training, directs BJS and DHS/HHS offices to collect pregnancy-related custody data, mandates availability of nursing/lactation and mother–infant programs, and adds statutory remedies and reporting requirements for restrictive-housing placements and failures to provide required care and accommodations.