Prison Reform (Then and Now) for Breastfeeding Mothers and Babies
December 2, 2008 by Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor
Filed under activism, breastfeeding, law
One of the ValueTale series of books my 6- and 4-year-olds enjoy depicts the story of real-life prison reformer Elizabeth Gurney Fry. Fry was a Quaker woman who initiated prison reform for the women and children living in Newgate Prison in the early 1800s.
Fast forward 200 years. What are the conditions like in the women’s prisons near you today? What would Elizabeth Fry think of a prison system that separates mothers and children without provision for breastfeeding babies? Remember how Olympic athlete Marion Jones had to wean her baby before she began to serve her prison sentence? What if she …read more
