Pregnant inmates in Arizona reportedly induced into labor against their will: ‘We are still state property’
Three women incarcerated in one Arizona prison recently claimed that they had been induced into labor early, even though they had never consented to early inductions and wanted to give birth at their natural times.
The three women — 34-year-old Jocelyn Heffner, 21-year-old Stephanie Pearson, and 37-year-old Desiree Romero — are all currently behind bars at Perryville prison, about 23 miles west of Phoenix. Heffner, who has a long history of drug offenses, and Romero are both serving time for drug-related crimes, while Pearson is serving a sentence of almost two years for forgery. All three women were pregnant at the onset of their current sentences, and all three said that they were forced to give birth anywhere from a week up to three weeks early because of a policy established by the Arizona Department of Corrections.
The three spoke to the Arizona Republic about their claims and consented for the news outlet to examine their medical records. From their medical records, the Arizona Republic determined that, last year, Pearson and Romero were both induced at 39 weeks, while Heffner was induced at just 37 weeks. Heffner had also been pregnant during a previous sentence she served in 2020. Medical records indicate that she had been induced at 37 weeks for that pregnancy as well.
