“To amend title 18, United States Code, to ensure access to obstetrician-gynecologists for female prisoners, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section requires the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Director to employ at least one full-time obstetrician-gynecologist certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology at each facility housing female prisoners, with each such prisoner receiving an initial visit within 14 days of incarceration. OB-GYNs must provide (1) menstrual health care and pain management; (2) contraceptive counseling and access; (3) diagnosis and treatment of gynecological conditions; (4) cancer screenings consistent with clinical guidelines; (5) prenatal care and pregnancy screenings; (6) postpartum care and recovery; and (7) mental health screening for postpartum depression. Female prisoners must receive informed consent for exams or procedures, the right to refuse non-emergency care, and communication in their preferred language; OB-GYNs must use trauma-informed care standards for survivors of sexual violence. The Director must establish a referral process to other specialists when medically necessary (as determined by the OB-GYN), ensure transportation and security do not delay care, prohibit denials based on cost or staffing, and fill OB-GYN vacancies within 42 days.
This section directs the Director of the Bureau of Prisons to submit to Congress, not later than one year after enactment and annually thereafter, a report that includes (1) the name of each Bureau of Prisons facility employing at least one full-time obstetrician-gynecologist; (2) the name of each such facility required under 18 U.S.C. §4051(h)(3) to employ at least one obstetrician-gynecologist with a vacant position, including the duration of the vacancy; and (3) for each facility housing female prisoners during the prior year, the number of (A) visits to an obstetrician-gynecologist employed pursuant to §4051(h)(3) by female prisoners and pregnant prisoners, respectively; (B) hours worked by each such obstetrician-gynecologist; (C) prisoner childbirths; (D) high-risk prisoner pregnancies classified by such an obstetrician-gynecologist or any other obstetrician-gynecologist; and (E) deaths of female prisoners related to pregnancy and of newborns of pregnant prisoners.