I gave birth in a British prison – no woman should suffer what I went through (Guardian, 28 March 2022)

Summary

Jail can never be a safe place to be pregnant but the flouting of rules makes things worse. No woman should suffer as I did, writes Anna Harley in this Guardian article.

Content

When Anna was six months pregnant with her first child she was “remanded into custody”. This meant that she would be held in prison for six months as she waited for her trial date.

"It didn’t sink in until I was waiting to be transported that I was probably going to be in prison when I gave birth to my first child. It was my first pregnancy, and fear overtook me. What was going to happen to me? What would happen to my baby?"

Prison will never, ever be a safe place to be pregnant. Two babies have recently died in women’s prisons when their mothers gave birth without medical assistance. One woman in HMP Styal gave birth in the prison toilets, and another woman in HMP Bronzefield gave birth alone at night in her cell. Yet still the government is sending pregnant women to prison, knowing the risks.

"My heart broke with grief and anger when I heard of these baby deaths, and I can understand how they happened because, in prison, you’re completely powerless and locked up at the mercy of prison guards. Anything can happen to you."

One in 10 women give birth in prison, or on the way to hospital. Even if the worst doesn’t happen, the impact of stress and trauma it causes to both mother and child is longlasting. This is why Anna is part of a campaign to end the imprisonment of pregnant women.