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Abstract: 

In “Incarcerated Childbirth and Broader Birth Control: Autonomy, Regulation, and the State” by Deborah Ahrens, 80 Missouri Law Review 1 (2015), the author reviews “the many ways in which prison life works to degrade and dehumanize female prisoners, particularly pregnant women and new mothers.” This is not an insignificant population. Approximately five to ten percent of women entering prison are pregnant and incarcerated women give birth to around two thousand babies annually. Unlike other papers on this subject, Ahrens then places the constraints faced by incarcerated pregnant women in the context of the restrictions generally placed on all pregnant women. She also discusses the impact of race and class on the availability of healthcare choices during pregnancy and birth. The article is well-researched, with extensive references to both legal and social science resources. Also reviewed in this issue’s Worth Reading is “Essential Elements of an Effective Prison Hospice Program” By Kristin G. Cloyes, Susan J.Rosenkranz, Patricia H. Berry, Katherine P. Supiano, Meghan Routt, Kathleen Shannon-Dorcy, and Sarah M. Llanque, in American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Medicine (2015)

Keywords: Incarcerated childbirth; hospice

Affiliations:  1: Pace Law School.