Abortion behind bars
Terminating a pregnancy in prison can be next to impossible
Rebecca Grant, March 16, 2017
In March 2004, a 19-year-old Arizona woman was sentenced to four months in Maricopa County jail for a DUI, shortly after discovering she was pregnant.
She asked for a delay in her sentencing hearing so she could obtain an abortion, but the prosecutor refused, saying she could obtain an abortion while on work furlough. Upon arrival at Tent City Jail, the woman, referred to in court documents as Jane Doe, immediately and repeatedly informed the jail’s health staff that she wished to terminate the pregnancy. But her request was denied. When she persisted in asking for an abortion, Doe was transferred to a facility where work furlough was not allowed and telephone access was restricted. Since county policy did not consider abortion a “medically necessary procedure,” inmates seeking an abortion had to secure a court order that allowed for transport off-site. Inmates were also required to cover the costs of security and transportation up front, as well as the cost of the procedure itself. It took Doe seven weeks to obtain a court order before she could undergo the procedure.
Continued at source: Vice: https://news.vice.com/story/abortion-behind-bars-terminating-a-pregnancy-in-prison-can-be-next-to-impossible