A new federal bill aims to protect pregnant women held in prisons and jails

EXCLUSIVEJailed and PregnantJailed and PregnantA new federal bill aims to protect pregnant women held in prisons and jailsThe proposed legislation follows an investigation by Bloomberg Law and NBC News that found mistreatment of pregnant women in local jails. Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00 body:has(.jw-flag-floating) .article-hero__container, body:has(.jw-flag-floating) .article-hero__media-holder, body:has(.jw-flag-floating) #content { z-index: auto; } Add NBC News to GoogleGiving birth while in custody: The hidden struggles of pregnant women in U.S. jails17:48Get more newsLiveonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 7, 2026, 9:00 AM EDTBy Jon Schuppe and Mackenzie Mays, Bloomberg LawThis article was published in partnership with Bloomberg Law.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.A California congresswoman is proposing sweeping changes to the treatment of incarcerated pregnant women in a bill introduced Thursday, part of a growing effort to correct systemic failures that put mothers’ and babies’ lives at risk in lockups around the country.The bill sponsored by U.S. Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, a Democrat, would mandate stronger protections for pregnant women and require tracking of pregnancies behind bars. The bill, an updated version of a measure she introduced in 2023, was motivated in part by an investigation last year by Bloomberg Law and NBC News that found mistreatment of pregnant women in jails.“It’s incredibly important that we are demanding and expanding data collection, because abuses that are happening to pregnant women in detention facilities are going unreported or underreported and don’t see daylight,” Kamlager-Dove said.U.S. Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove reworked her bill to extend protections for pregnant women in immigration detention facilities.Heather Diehl / Getty Images fileThe Bloomberg Law/NBC News investigation told the stories of 54 women who alleged severe harm or medic...