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.
