Diana Kasdan has written an article in Viewpoint about legal principles that are relevant in determining if prisons' approaches to abortion procedures are constitutional. Her article is titled "Abortion Access for Incarcerated Women: Are Correctional Health Practices in Conflict with Correctional Standards?" Kasdan points out that although women in prison retain their right to an abortion, the practices of prison officials, and the experience of pregnant women who are under their rule, differ greatly from state to state, county to county and prison to prison.
Considering this scenario, what does Kasdan recommend? She believes that there should be a standardization, and enforcing of policy guidelines that can help health care providers, administrators etc. to develop appropriate standards of health care for all prisons.
This may sound easy and obvious, but apparently it is not happening across the country. It wasn't too long ago (and it may still be the case in some prison facilities) where women were forced to wear shackles while giving birth. How degrading is that? Women in prison should be treated with dignity when giving birth. And they definitely should have full access to an abortion, without any obstacles placed in their path.