Woman handcuffed to bed by police while in labour

The case was settled in court earlier this week.

A woman in the United States has settled a lawsuit with the New York Police Department and the City of New York after she went into labour with her wrists and ankles in handcuffs. The woman, who remains anonymous, had been arrested on an assault charge that has since been dismissed. She was experiencing contractions before her arrest, and they continued while she was in her holding cell. Another woman who had been detained helped her keep track of them. The authorities transported her to a hospital where she eventually gave birth while handcuffed to a bed. As she went into labour, a nurse asked police officers to remove the restraints but was told that it was not possible due to an unspecified policy. The shackles were temporarily removed to allow the healthcare workers to administer an epidural. An hour after the delivery, officers put her in handcuffs again which made it very difficult for the woman to breastfeed. The next day, the handcuffs were finally removed and the woman and her newborn were allowed to leave the hospital. The woman, who is black, spoke to CNN about the treatment she received from police officials. "That was not my birth plan," she said. "I felt like a failure to my unborn because that wasn't something that was planned for neither of us." She continued: "I just didn't feel like myself anymore after that. I feel like my memory got taken away. And still I'm in pain." Her attorney, Anne Oredeko, said that the first breath the baby had was "born out of violence". Following on from this ordeal in 2018, the woman filed a lawsuit for emotional distress and the violation of her civil rights, along with attorney fees and other costs. Earlier this week, a judge approved for the woman in question to receive a settlement of $750,000 (€621,631).