A 22-year-old African American woman has filed a lawsuit against New York City. She was reportedly handcuffed to a bed during childbirth, after being arrested on a charge of minor assault, which was later dismissed.
Charged with minor assault, a young pregnant woman over 40 weeks old was arrested and detained in a cell for almost a full day. According to the complaint she filed against New York City, she would have been subjected to an abusive examination which she considers as "nothing less than sexual assault". A police officer reportedly ordered him to remove his underwear to determine if his work had started. The expectant mother was finally handcuffed in an ambulance and taken to the hospital.
The authorities allegedly chained the young woman to her bed for 36 hours after giving birth by "an arm and a leg". She admits that she had trouble feeding her son in this posture. When her child was transferred to a neonatal intensive care unit, she could only visit him if her legs were tied. "NYPD made me feel less than human", she admitted.
"The NYPD not only acted unconstitutionally, it acted without common sense, as our client posed no risk of harm to herself or anyone. It is shocking to see that years after the medical and correctional communities have taken a united stand against the inhuman practice of tying up pregnant women, NYPD agents continue to unnecessarily endanger pregnant people like our client and their newborn babies. ", lawyer Andrew Jondahl said in a statement.
"No one should have to have this kind of treatment in this kind of vulnerable state.", added Anthony Posada of the Legal Aid Society at Guardian. "Tying up pregnant women is a dehumanizing and pointless practice that has no place in New York"added Corey Stoughton, head of the Special Litigation Unit of the Legal Aid Society who said "appalled"by the facts
This Friday, March 13, the complainant's lawyers filed a complaint alleging that the medical personnel had not intervened to protect the health and safety of their client and that of her son. They are calling for the hospital to reform its practices so that this does not happen again.
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by Sarah Chekroun