Sydney Kamlager-Dove, a Democratic congresswoman from California, has introduced a new bill aimed at improving the treatment of pregnant women in prisons, jails and detention centres across the United States.
The proposed legislation, known as the Pregnant Women in Custody Act, seeks to strengthen protections for incarcerated pregnant women while also requiring authorities to properly track pregnancies and health outcomes behind bars.
Kamlager-Dove said the bill was inspired partly by a joint investigation by Bloomberg Law and NBC News, which documented cases of alleged abuse and medical neglect involving pregnant women in detention facilities.
“It’s incredibly important that we are demanding and expanding data collection, because abuses that are happening to pregnant women in detention facilities are going unreported or underreported and don’t see daylight,” Kamlager-Dove said.
The investigation highlighted the experiences of dozens of women who claimed they suffered serious harm during pregnancy while held in local jails between 2017 and 2024. Several women reportedly experienced miscarriages, stillbirths or childbirth complications after allegedly being denied adequate medical care.
The congresswoman stressed that accurate data remains one of the biggest missing pieces in addressing the problem.
“We need the data, and to share and talk about these women, because often they are invisible,” she said.
Under the proposed bill, federal authorities would be required to collect information on pregnancies, treatment and birth outcomes in local, state and federal detention facilities, including immigration detention centres.
The legislation would also require correctional officers to receive training on the risks associated with restraining or isolating pregnant women. In addition, it seeks to establish minimum healthcare standards for pregnant inmates in federal custody, including access to vitamins, proper bedding, nutrition, medical screening and emergency care.
The bill would further limit the use of restraints and restrictive housing for pregnant detainees in most situations.
Kamlager-Dove explained that the updated version of the bill now includes specific provisions covering immigration detention facilities after women alleged mistreatment while pregnant in those centres.
Although the proposal has been introduced in the House of Representatives, it currently has no Republican co-sponsors.
The investigation has also influenced lawmakers at the state level. In Pennsylvania, Amanda Cappelletti introduced a separate bill aimed at reducing the detention of pregnant women who cannot afford bail.
“Recent reporting makes clear how urgently this reform is needed,” Cappelletti said while presenting the measure earlier this year.
“We know that even short periods in jail can jeopardize maternal and fetal health. No incarcerated person should be denied basic healthcare while pregnant.”
Meanwhile, some states, including Virginia and Texas, have begun introducing reforms focused on maternal health and treatment standards for pregnant inmates.
One of the women featured in the investigation, Lauren Kent, said the proposed legislation gave meaning to her painful experience after she miscarried in a Texas jail in 2019.
“It helps me to feel like my son’s life wasn’t for nothing,” Kent said.
