The use of shackles or restraints on pregnant women is a common practice in prisons and jails in the United States, but also documented in countries including Australia, Great Britain, and Japan. Shac
Standard leg shackles
Ann Widdecombe
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Ann Noreen Widdecombe was a British politician and media personality. As a member of the Conservative Party, she was the member of Parliament for Maidstone and The Weald, previously Maidstone, from 19
Use of restraints on pregnant women
…be used if the pregnant person is considered a high security risk. The movement to end shackling in the United Kingdom gained momentum in 1996, when Ann Widdecombe, the former Minister of State for Prisons, defended the Prison Service's policy of handcuffing women during labor. Widdecombe justified her position…
Official portrait, 2019
Official portrait, 1996
Widdecombe speaking at Nightingale House in London in 2009
Widdecombe speaking in the European Parliament in July 2019