By Desira Brown, Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation Community Organizer, https://www.tndc.org

Reproductive health care for incarcerated women, particularly women of color, remains a neglected issue in the U.S. prison system. Unless a woman is pregnant, her health needs are often ignored—and even then, basic prenatal care is not guaranteed. 

While women make up only about 10% of federal and state prison populations, a 2017 study found that their mortality rate was 5% higher than men’s. According to the Prison Policy Initiative, women in prison face worse conditions than their male counterparts, both leading up to and during incarceration. 

The lack of reproductive care within the prison system is unfathomable, affecting even menstrual hygiene. Some incarcerated women resort to makeshift tampons due to inadequate supplies, putting them at risk for Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS), a life-threatening bacterial infection. In extreme cases, women have been forced to undergo hysterectomies during or after incarceration due to untreated infections. 

As a formerly incarcerated woman of color, I have personally experienced these challenges. In the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), only cardboard tampons were available, which caused me severe stomach pain. The standard-issue pads also irritated my skin, leaving me without a viable option. 

When I sought medical help, the only solution offered by prison healthcare staff was Depo-Provera, a birth control injection. I had experienced complications with Depo-Provera in my teenage years and was hesitant to take it. However, faced with no other options, I had no choice but to accept the shot. 

The consequences were immediate—I developed an infection at the injection site. The lack of empathy from medical staff was overwhelming. A nurse coldly remarked, “You should have just used the tampons,” dismissing my suffering. It wasn’t until my family advocated for me from the outside that I was finally taken to a hospital for proper treatment. Even now, I still experience long-term side effects. 

For pregnant incarcerated women, conditions are inhumane. Hot, muggy environments, limited access to drinkable water, and inadequate nutrition make an already vulnerable situation even worse. Sexual abuse within prisons is another devastating reality, leaving many women with lasting reproductive trauma. The lack of medical support and understanding in these cases leads to deep, long-term suffering that extends beyond incarceration. 

Despite these hardships, incarcerated women build solidarity in their communities, forming support systems to survive. However, these acts of resilience do not replace the urgent need for systemic change. 

Society and lawmakers must start prioritizing the reproductive rights and overall well-being of incarcerated women. Access to proper healthcare, menstrual products, and safe living conditions should not be privileges—they are fundamental human rights. 

While I was fortunate to survive and advocate for myself, many incarcerated women do not. Some endure irreversible harm, while others do not make it out at all. If we want to create a just and equitable society, we must address the deep disparities in reproductive care within our prison system—because incarcerated women deserve better.