Locked behind bars and out of sight, society has long considered women who are incarcerated to be “unfit” – unfit to be pregnant, unfit to mother, and unfit to make decisions about their own reproductive lives. This article sheds light on the lives of these “unfit” women and the reproductive restrictions they endure while incarcerated in prisons in the United States and United Kingdom. Adopting a reproductive justice lens, this article argues that all women, including our most vulnerable women who are incarcerated, should be able to access the right to safe and dignified fertility management, childbirth and parenting. This article examines the failure to fulfill this right and the reality of reproductive control behind bars in both jurisdictions. That reality includes forced sterilization, inadequate healthcare for pregnant people in prison, the shackling of people giving birth, difficulties faced by mothers trying to maintain ties with their children, as well as restricted access to contraception and abortion services. Using a comparative methodology, this article compares the models of incarceration across the Atlantic and the respective approaches to the reproductive needs of women who are incarcerated. In doing so, this article identifies shared problems and makes several recommendations to ensure that even our most vulnerable women can obtain reproductive justice.

Keep Reading “Unfit” Women Across the Atlantic: Reproductive Control of Incarcerated Women in the United States and United Kingdom