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The office of New York Attorney General Letitia James has reached an agreement with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office to protect incarcerated individuals’ rights to reproductive health care.
An investigation by the attorney general found that during the administration of former Sheriff Colleen M. O’Neill, a pregnant woman incarcerated at the Jefferson County Correctional Facility jail was repeatedly denied abortion care and was pressured by the jail’s medical staff to not go through with the procedure, subjecting her to unnecessary stress and endangering her health, according to the Attorney General’s office.
James has acknowledged her gratitude for the cooperation of current Sheriff Peter Barnett.
The agreement announced Thursday by the attorney general “will ensure all individuals incarcerated at the Jefferson County Correctional Facility will receive the abortion and medical care they have a right to under New York and federal laws,” according to a news release from the attorney general.
“I will continue to defend everyone’s legal right to access the health care they need,” James said in the news release.
“Our laws make it clear that incarcerated individuals have a fundamental right to abortion care. Today’s agreement will ensure that right is protected and that no one is denied the right to make their own reproductive health care decisions,” she said.
The investigation was launched into the facility’s treatment of a pregnant woman who filed a complaint alleging her rights to medical and abortion care had been violated while she was incarcerated.
The investigation found that the medical director and health care staff at the jail refused to provide abortion care she had requested, canceled appointments twice without justification, and pressured her to cancel the procedure, according to the Attorney General.
According to notes taken by a social worker at the time, a sergeant at the jail told the woman’s sister that they had “no intention” of following through with the abortion procedure.
The abortion procedure was completed nearly a month after the initial request, at greater risk to her health. The investigation also found that the jail’s policies on reproductive health care access were lacking, and that staff members were not trained on incarcerated individuals’ rights to reproductive health care, according to the attorney general.
New York state laws guarantee all New Yorkers a right to abortion care, and under both state and federal laws, all incarcerated individuals have the right to necessary and appropriate medical care, which includes reproductive health care, according to the attorney general.
Under the agreement reached with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, the jail must adopt policies ensuring access to reproductive health care, including abortion, pregnancy screening, and pre/post-natal care, and provide training to staff on incarcerated individuals’ rights.
The jail’s leadership must finalize the training and policies by Dec. 1, and inform all incarcerated individuals at the facility of their rights under the new policies. The Attorney General will monitor the facility for compliance for the next five years.
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