Offering CRMS to Women in Prison
Creighton Model FertilityCare™ System (CrMS)
Currently, the CrMS is not offered in prisons in the United States even though the need for the benefits of the CrMS approach are plainly evident. Only in 2019, has the information about women in prison and pregnancy been published. John Hopkins did a study to answer a global-type question: how many U.S. women enter prison pregnant at intake? (Sufrin C et al 2019 PMID: 30897003
The researchers compiled survey results from 2016-2017. The surveys were conducted in state and federal prison in only 22 states of the 50 states (57%).
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They discovered that almost 1,400 women were pregnant at intake. Of those women, over 90% gave live birth and there were no maternal deaths. Of note, only 11 women opted for abortion (0.7%).
Only one prison in Massachusetts allows mothers who are inmates to live with their children for the first two years of life. In most circumstances, the mothers who are inmates face forced separation from their newborn soon after birth. Women in prison suffer disproportionately higher levels of women’s and mental health.
Prior to the 1960s, the number of people in state and federal prisons from year to year hovered fairly steadily around 10,000, men and women, according to records kept starting in 1925. In 1965 the numbers began their radical climb. on until the year 2018 when the number reached 1,414,162.
The sharp increases are astounding. Although the U.S. has the highest gross domestic product and is known for its ingenuity, it has the highest per capita rate for incarceration of any nation in the world.
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Turning now to the rate of incarceration of women-only, within the. same timeframe, it too shows exponential growth. Recall that prior to 1960 the total number of men and women in state and federal prison hovered at 10,000 in total. By 1980, the number for women-only in state and federal prisons swelled to 13,206. By 2010 the number skyrocketed to 112,867 and more recently in 2018 the count was still high at 110,845.
In regard to the condition of the women entering prison, numerous studies concur that a characteristic commonality of their backgrounds includes physical and or sexual abuse.
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