An Alabama woman was imprisoned for 'endangering' her fetus. She gave birth in a jail shower

[Nevilledog]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/oct/13/alabama-pregnant-woman-jail-lawsuit

No paywall
https://archive.ph/nPSEC

In March 2021, sheriffs in Etowah county, Alabama, arrested Ashley Caswell on accusations that she’d tested positive for methamphetamine while pregnant and was “endangering” her fetus.

Caswell, who was two months pregnant at the time, became one of a growing number of women imprisoned in the county in the name of protecting their “unborn children”.

But over the next seven months of incarceration for “chemical endangerment” in the Etowah county detention center (ECDC), Caswell was denied regular access to prenatal visits, even as officials were aware her pregnancy was high-risk due to her hypertension and abnormal pap smears, according to a lawsuit filed on Friday against the county and the sheriff’s department. She was also denied her prescribed psychiatric medication and slept on a thin mat on the concrete floor of the detention center for her entire pregnancy.

In October, when her water broke and she pleaded to be taken to a hospital, her lawyer says, officials told her to “sleep it off” and “wait until Monday” to deliver – two days away.

*snip*

[louis-t]

1. Repugs feel the need to punish-always.

They think it is their duty. Pro-life, my ass.

[peppertree]

58. +1

The fetus is simply their new favorite cudgel.

Now - bring up the need to fund better pre-natal care, and they start screaming "Soshilism!"

[pfitz59]

2. the 'pro-birth' swine don't care about life

its a mask for their cruelty.

[COL Mustard]

43. Well, at least they wear that mask!

They sure as hell didn't want to wear a mask for COVID.

[IA8IT]

3. Tommy Tommy Tommy Old man take a look at yourself. Nice state you got there.

[nolabear]

4. Under His Eye...

No wonder the world is in a deep depression. Power is being exerted at what you’d expect to be a criminal level. But no. Desperate women are the criminals.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

13. And Repubs scream because a medicare fraudster might be held accountable.

It's not just a boys club, it's a sindicate - "A loose affiliation of gangsters in control of organized criminal activities."

[maspaha]

5. Love the fetus, hate the child

[nilram]

55. And the mother, too

[Hekate]

6. Pregnant mares are more valuable than human women

[Delphinus]

40. ...

[sheshe2]

7. Imprisoned for 'endangering' fetus...

so they proceeded to 'endanger' not just the fetus but the mother.

[EarnestPutz]

11. One wonders if the jailers could not also be prosecuted under the same law.

[dickthegrouch]

22. Equal protection

Says they should be. Part of the same crime. Accomplices after the fact. Making medical decisions without a license. Prescribed “treatment “ without qualifications. I’m sure real attorneys could come up with a whole raft of appropriate charges for the custodial staff to answer to.
I’d love to see the Inmate try to press those charges.

[Silver Gaia]

8. Wait til Monday???

WTF. Evil assholes.

[elias7]

24. Well, if she's in jail for endangerment, how about the guard?

Whoever said wait until Monday put both mother and fetus at grave risk, graver than a hit of meth.

[SunSeeker]

28. Right? Once your water breaks, you need to give birth within hours or else risk lethal infection.

That's what my obstetrician told me when my water broke. She said if I didn't push my son out, they would open me up. I pushed that boy out!

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

51. Apparently they have no clue how labor and delivery work.

[Coventina]

9. Solid proof this is about controlling women and nothing to do with the unborn

or babies.

[redqueen]

32. +1

[mountain grammy]

41. Exactly!l as it's always been and always will be.

[uponit7771]

52. +1

[orangecrush]

10. Flee Alabama

Only solution I see.

[LiberalFighter]

12. Wow! Too bad there isn't a way this behavior can't be stop in the way I am thinking.

[Harker]

14. And here we go.

The Supreme Court has a lot to answer for, and don't think they are answerable to anyone but their masters.

[Stinky The Clown]

15. Jay's . Fukking . Kee-rist

That's a clear case of child endangerment, it seems to me.

[Takket]

16. um.................

The Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution states: “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.”

how in the world does denying someone the medical care they need to ensure a safe pregnancy because... and I cannot over-stress the absurdity of this... the law is supposedly saying SHE is endangering the fetus... not a violation of her 8th amendment rights???

[onecaliberal]

17. But the mother fuckers who tried to steal an election are free to be in congress and continue the

coup. Fuck this country.

[iluvtennis]

25. Ain't that the truth. n/t

[4lbs]

18. Now, another baby that will grow up for the grinder.

As George Carlin said, "Pro-Life" idiots want live babies so they can raise them to be dead soldiers.

[iluvtennis]

27. Thanks for posting this. As Carlin said, the conservatives are 'anti-woman', not 'pro-life'. n/t

[Lonestarblue]

19. The baby survived in this case, but it was deprived of oxygen which means that it will likely

have developmental issues that may be impossible to overcome. The right wing evangelicals have now criminalized pregnancy, as we knew they would after Roe was overturned because they have always been more about control and forcing women to be nothing more than baby machines. It’s no wonder Alabama has one of the highest maternal death rates in this country.

[4lbs]

23. As long as the baby is "minimally exceptional" he will be fine to them.

They will raise him on guns, ammo, and violent games so that when time comes, he can be their very own Forrest Gump and join the military.

[Grins]

20. "sleep it off" Like the crap you get from a football coach.

“Walk it off! Get back in the he game.”

Not much different…

[WhiskeyGrinder]

21. Abolish the PIC.

[ShazzieB]

42. Abolish the what?

Sorry, no idea what PIC means here, and Google was no help.

[niyad]

44. prison industrial complex , I believe.

[ShazzieB]

46. Oh, okay. That makes sense!

[Vinca]

26. #1 - Fire the lawyer. #2 - Get a new lawyer to sue anyone and everyone involved in denying her

access to a hospital for labor and delivery and treated her like an animal for the duration of the pregnancy.

[SunSeeker]

29. I hope she and her child get a lot of money from these assholes.

[Mickju]

30. This is barbarism.

And I'll bet they all consider themselves to be Christians. I couldn't be more disgusted.

[paleotn]

31. This is Alabama.

[PatrickforB]

33. Alabama is the anus of the USA. For sure.

And these jails. God help you if you get sent to jail because they absolutely do not give a shit. Not at all. Their whole medical 'care' thing in prisons is about COST SAVINGS instead of helping the prisoners with what they need.

Let's hope ACLU and the SPLC sue the hell out of Etowah county and those fucks have to pay out several million.

[lastlib]

34. Alabama--the perineum of America......

[JoseBalow]

36. taint that the truth!

[JoseBalow]

35. That Etowah County jail was featured on a season "60 Days In" on A&E network

What a horrendous overcrowded filthy shit-hole that place is!

And the sheriff is colossal douche, just a terrible fascist reprobate.

I've watched every season of 60 Days In, and that jail has been by far the worst.

[Warpy]

37. Oh, my word

WHAT THE FUCK ARE THOSE ASSHOLES THINKING?

Oh, there better be a lawsuit over this one and it better be a doozy which will kick that county hard enough that everybody in charge of that place is fired and the rule book completely rewritten.

[Kid Berwyn]

38. What century is this, again?

Whatever, it’s a time when people are property.

[bronxiteforever]

39. Alabama's Senator doesn't even live in Alabama.

That is how bad the GOP has governed the state.

[keithbvadu2]

45. Now we know what right wingers consider adequate medical care for the fetus.

[cstanleytech]

47. Welcome to the land if the Handmaid's Tale.

[wryter2000]

48. Logic

Because she endangered her fetus, she was denied prenatal care.

[Magoo48]

49. Alabama; goddamn.

[Solly Mack]

50. K&R

[peggysue2]

53. Sleep it off?

Just another example of the heralded 'pro-life' stance. Misogyny at its finest: Cruelty, ignorance and a total indifference to the welfare of women and/or their children.

Despicable!

[pandr32]

54. Sure--tell the baby to hold off for two days.

My gawd! Women who are pregnant need to have easy access to support and care.
Sure, drug use needs to be controlled, but not like this.

[AllyCat]

56. Republicans are dreadful monsters

[byronius]

57. Alabama -- the very bottom of the barrel.

Good lord.