New York State Attorney General Letitia James’s office has reached an agreement with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office to protect the rights to reproductive health care of incarcerated individuals.
An Attorney General’s investigation finds that under former Sheriff Colleen M. O’Neill’s administration, pregnant women incarcerated at the Jefferson County Correctional Facility were repeatedly denied abortion care and pressured by the prison’s medical staff not to receive abortion care. It turned out that he had received. The attorney general’s office said the procedure subjected her to unnecessary stress and put her health at risk.
James thanked current Sheriff Peter Barnett for his assistance.
The agreement announced Thursday by the attorney general “provides that all individuals incarcerated at the Jefferson County Correctional Facility have access to the abortion and medical care to which they are entitled under New York and federal law,” according to an attorney general news release. It guarantees that.”
“I will continue to defend everyone’s legal right to the medical care they need,” James said in a news release.
“Our laws make it clear that incarcerated individuals have a fundamental right to access abortion care. Today’s agreement protects that right and ensures that no one has access to reproductive health care on their own. It ensures that the right to make decisions is not denied,” she said.
An investigation was launched into the facility’s treatment of a pregnant woman who filed a complaint alleging that her right to medical and abortion care was violated while incarcerated.
According to the attorney general’s office, an investigation found that the prison’s medical director and medical staff refused to provide her with the abortion care she requested, twice canceled her appointments without a valid reason, and pressured her to stop the procedure. It has been found.
A prison sergeant told the woman’s sister that he had “no intention” of proceeding with the abortion, according to notes taken by a social worker at the time.
The abortion procedure was completed almost a month after the initial request, but the risks to her health were higher. The attorney general said the investigation also found that the prison lacked a policy regarding access to reproductive health care and that staff were not trained on inmates’ rights to reproductive health care.
According to the attorney general, New York state law guarantees all New Yorkers the right to abortion care, and under both state and federal law, all inmates receive necessary and appropriate medical care, including reproductive health care. He says he has the right.
Under an agreement with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, the jail will adopt a policy to ensure access to reproductive health care, including abortion, pregnancy testing, prenatal and postnatal care, and will train staff on the rights of individuals incarcerated. need to be provided.
Prison leadership must complete training and policies by Dec. 1 and inform all inmates in the facility of their rights under the new policy. The Attorney General will monitor the facilities’ compliance for the next five years.
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