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Panel Approves Measure to Ban Shackling of Pregnant Women

AUGUSTA, Maine - On a vote of 7 to 4, a legislative panel has sent onto the Maine Senate a measure that would prohibit the shackling of pregnant women and detainees except under extraordinary circumstances.

Supporters of the measure say that shackling has been shown to increase a woman's chances of falling, which can be harmful to their pregnancy and interfere with the administration of proper care.

Opponents of the measure say protectors are already in place. Ricky Long is a Republican representative from Sherman. "I want us directing the Department of Corrections to direct the county jails to implement the rules they have in place at this time," Long said. "They seem to be working."

In the case that restraints are used on pregnant women, the bill stipulates that corrections officials must document the extraordinary circumstance that required their use.
 

Ed is a Maine native who spent his early childhood in Livermore Falls before moving to Farmington. He graduated from Mount Blue High School in 1970 before going to the University of Maine at Orono where he received his BA in speech in 1974 with a broadcast concentration. It was during that time that he first became involved with public broadcasting. He served as an intern for what was then called MPBN TV and also did volunteer work for MPBN Radio.