Cephas, Davis laud final passage of Dignity for Incarcerated Women legislation

Rep. Morgan B. Cephas, Rep. Tina Davis    December 13, 2023

HARRISBURG, Dec. 13 – State Reps. Morgan Cephas, D-Phila., and Tina Davis, D-Bucks, today celebrated the final passage of their legislation to better support pregnant and postpartum incarcerated women.

The bill, H.B. 900, passed the House with bipartisan support on June 13 and cleared the Senate today. It now goes to Gov. Josh Shapiro for his signature.

Introduced by Cephas, Davis, and Rep. Mike Jones, R-York, H.B. 900 creates important protections for pregnant and postpartum incarcerated women, including restricting shackling and solitary confinement; providing trauma informed care training of corrections officers interacting with pregnant and postpartum women; and providing up to three days of post-delivery bonding time between a mother and newborn child, among other protections.

“For years, my peers and I have been fighting to get prenatal, pregnancy and post-natal protections and support for those incarcerated in the commonwealth,” Cephas said. “The final passage of this legislation lifts my soul because it is an act of compassion and common decency. This legislation helps us to set a foundation for moving forward and helps us to improve the quality of life for some of our most vulnerable residents and their families. No one should be deprived of respect or be forced to risk their health or the health of their child. I am delighted to see this become a reality for Pennsylvania and appreciate the collaboration that brought us to this day.”

Davis agreed.

“Pregnancy can be a stressful time, especially for women who are separated from their families,” Davis said. “As the number of pregnant or postpartum incarcerated women rise, we must ensure they have the support that they and their babies need. We have devoted years to making this right, and I am thankful that it will soon become law.”