ADAMS’ EARLIER REFORMS PROVIDE FOUNDATION FOR CALLAWAY PROPOSAL ON INCARCERATED MATERNAL CARE
Health Services Committee examines proposal to strengthen reporting and oversight of prenatal and postpartum care
FRANKFORT, Ky. (Oct. 20, 2026)—A proposal to improve care for incarcerated mothers and their babies brought lawmakers back to an issue Sen. Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville, has championed since 2018. Tuesday’s Interim Joint Committee on Health Services meeting examined how better reporting could help ensure existing protections are being carried out.
Rep. Emily Callaway, R-Louisville, presented 2027 Regular Session Bill Request 425 alongside representatives of the Reason Foundation and Louisville Metro Department of Corrections. The preliminary proposal would standardize reporting and auditing of prenatal and postpartum care across correctional facilities.
“The circumstances that bring a woman into custody do not diminish her need for care or her hopes for her child,” Adams said. “That has guided my work from the beginning. We have a responsibility to protect the health of both mother and baby and to treat women with dignity during a particularly vulnerable time in their lives.”
Adams sponsored Senate Bill 133 in 2018, known as the Dignity Bill, which passed with bipartisan support. The law established requirements for adequate nutrition for pregnant women in jail and hygiene products for women in custody. It also strengthened protections against the use of restraints during pregnancy, labor, transport for delivery and postpartum recovery.
She expanded those protections through Senate Bill 84 in 2021. The law established access to community programs and social workers to help mothers plan for their babies’ care and required facilities to allow newborns to remain with their mothers for up to 72 hours after birth unless a medical professional identifies a health or safety risk. It also prohibited restrictive housing for medical observation during pregnancy and the immediate postpartum period.
Callaway acknowledged Adams and other lawmakers for their work on maternal care, emphasizing that those efforts must include women in correctional facilities.
“They found themselves in the care of our correctional facilities, and we have a duty to ensure they too are cared for and that the baby has a fighting chance even before his and her first breath,” Callaway said.
Reason Foundation policy analyst Layal Bou Harfouch cited Adams’ earlier laws while explaining that gaps in publicly available, comparable information make it difficult to assess their implementation. The proposed framework would track care from the identification of pregnancy through delivery and postpartum recovery.
The need for better information has also drawn national scrutiny. A 2025 Bloomberg Law and NBC News investigation found that at least 22 states did not track pregnancy outcomes in jails. Kentucky’s earlier work is featured in Justice Action Network’s national “Women Unshackled” case study, which identifies Adams’ 2018 Dignity Bill as the first of its kind.
Louisville Metro corrections officials outlined their practices, including pregnancy screening, obstetric care, substance use treatment and postpartum support. They also discussed connecting women with community care after release.
“I appreciate Rep. Callaway carrying this work forward and the medical and corrections professionals helping us understand what care looks like day to day,” Adams said. “Our earlier laws established important protections. Consistent reporting can help us see whether women are receiving that care and where more attention is needed. We owe it to these mothers and their babies to follow through.”
Callaway emphasized that the proposal remains preliminary and open for discussion ahead of Kentucky’s 30-day 2027 Regular Session, which begins Jan. 5
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Sen. Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville, represents Kentucky’s 36th Senate District in eastern Jefferson County. Adams chairs the Senate Licensing and Occupations Committee. She also serves as a member of the Senate Committees on Banking and Insurance, Health Services, and State and Local Government. Adams also serves as a member of the Administrative Regulations Review Subcommittee.
For a high-resolution .jpeg of Sen. Raque Adams, please visit: https://legislature.ky.gov/Legislators Full Res Images/senate136.jpg.