It was like the prison had given the okay for them to rape us

[SnoopyLights]

I saw this on Instagram last night and I seriously haven't been able to stop thinking about these poor women since I read it.

Women incarcerated in California's largest women's prison are describing the conditions as "a nightmare's worst nightmare" after the introduction of new pregnancy resources in the Central California Woman's Facility (CCWF) medical clinics. The new resources are a tacit admission by officials that woman should expect to be raped when housed in prison with men, where all sex is considered non-consensual by default within the system.

New posters recently appeared in medical rooms outlining the options available to "pregnant people" in prison, including prenatal care, abortion, and adoption. The poster also declares that woman have the right to "contraceptive counselling and your choice of birth control methods by a licensed healthcare provider within 60 - 180 days prior to scheduled release date." However the only methods available to incarcerated women to prevent pregnancy are condoms, which appeared shortly after the men, and Plan-B emergency contraceptives.

Prior to the passage of SB 132, pregnancies among incarcerated women were vanishingly rare in California women's prisons. Women who entered the justice system already pregnant are typically held in county jail or separate medical facilities until they give birth.

Women's prisons across the state appear to be making final preparations such as these for a massive wave of transfers after nearly 300 requests were initiated following SB 132 going into effect in January of this year. So far, only about 20 of the transfers have been processed (and exactly zero transfer requests have been denied) - leaving hundreds of men, many of whom are sex offenders, awaiting entry into the women's estate.

Speaking to Amie Ichikawa, founder of Woman II Woman and advocate for incarcerated women, one woman currently housed in CCWF said it was like the prison had "given the okay for them to rape us, cause you have a plan to take care of the aftermath."

At a recent CCWF Captain's meeting, one woman read a statement in which she pleaded for help and accused CO's of ignoring their previous concerns of being housed with a serial rapist.

"How do we feel safe in our community? When we reach out for help we get nothing...There has been an assault on a woman and we still are silenced."

"We have had our hope taken away once again. Does anyone care that we are being forced to house with 6'2, 250+ lbs men with penises that are here for brutally raping women? We have been warned by the officials in this prison, more are coming with worse charges."

"Where is the safety concern for us? If we say we are in fear, we are the ones locked up."

www.womensliberationfront.org/california-sb-132-a-disaster-for-incarcerated-women

[SnoopyLights]

From the Instagram post

[SnoopyLights]

Also from the Instagram post. Images are not showing for me but hopefully they are attached.

[Charley50]

How can anyone think this is ok? It's sick.

[Xoxoxoxoxoxox]

I can't understand why there isn't more of a public outcry about it.
It beggers belief.

[EmbarrassingAdmissions]

The poster also declares that woman have the right to "contraceptive counselling and your choice of birth control methods by a licensed healthcare provider within 60 - 180 days prior to scheduled release date." However the only methods available to incarcerated women to prevent pregnancy are condoms, which appeared shortly after the men, and Plan-B emergency contraceptives.

I can see how that would be treated as an interesting conundrum by some people.

And how that diversion would completely obscure the human rights abuses taking place in plain sight. But, doesn't it matter because they're women. Women don't have a lived reality and embodied experience that matters

I don't know what to hope for here. The US Govt. seems determined to press ahead with an ideology irrespective of the harms that it causes - so they're not a resource for the women.

Am I hoping that the guards and officials are using some foul intimidation tactic and want to emotionally abuse the women by terrifying them about whom some of their new fellow inmates may be?

I can not see an upside here. But I lack the imagination of a Brookside writer who knows who the real victims and abusers are in such scenarios.

[WarriorN]

That's horrific.

[JonBinary]

This is absolutely appalling.

[Whatwouldscullydo]

This breaks my heart it realky does. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy. Rape becoming an acceptable punishment fir a crime , so much fir being being civilised country hey.

Why can't males just be told no. Like ever.

[BadgertheBodger]

Just horrifying. Anyone who thinks this is defensible must have had had something go wrong in their head

[PerpetuallyUnderwhelmed]

Is there any backlash against this in the US? This is dystopian.

[EmbarrassingAdmissions]

@BadgertheBodger

Just horrifying. Anyone who thinks this is defensible must have had had something go wrong in their head

Why is it women's rights are constantly coming up against: It may be legal, but let's not adopt the pretence that it's ethically defensible.

I can't believe that there won't be legal action at some point and I doubt, We were following the letter of an abusive law will be an adequate defence.

[SnoopyLights]

Each time I read it something else stands out to me as the 'worst bit'

• we know some of you will be raped.
  

• we know some of you will be raped and become pregnant.
  

• we can provide your potential rapist with condoms.
  

• "pregnant people" not pregnant women.
  

• advice on prenatal care, abortion and adoption. Imagine being pregnant while still locked up with the rapist who impregnated you. What if that rapist wants you to continue that pregnancy, or force you to end it? No escape from the rapist after you make your decision. How is that going to work out for the women?
  

• we don't care if you don't feel safe.
  

• we don't care that some of you have already been assaulted.
  

• get used to this because worse is coming.
  

• don't complain or we will isolate you, not the rapist.

[PicsInRed]

@PerpetuallyUnderwhelmed

Is there any backlash against this in the US? This is dystopian.

My thought exactly, "dystopian".

If they'll go this far to satiate a social minority with political backing, then this will only be the beginning for women - all of us. Overpopulation and strife don't ever bode well for the safety and continued freedoms of women, and this makes it clear that they'll quite happily throw us under the bus for peace.

To paraphrase the famous poem, 1st they came for the female prisoners, but I was not a female prisoner, so I said nothing.

[person78]

This is a massive, massive human rights violation.

There is virtually no media coverage on this issue in the U.S. That's part of why there has been no public outcry.

[GiantToadstool]

This is frightening :(

Cant those in charge of prisons oe prison welfare speak out??

We're watching womens rights to be safe eroded right in front of us.

[person78]

Somewhat relatedly, several months ago I was banned from commenting on the Washington Post because the powers that be didn't like my gender critical views relating to women's athletics. I always kept my commenting civil, but my comments contained thoughtcrime so the banhammer came down. I had been a subscriber for 4+ years at the time, and I appealed the commenting ban. They denied my appeal.

This is part of the problem, of course.

[WarriorN]

- we can provide your potential rapist with condoms

it's also an implied assumption that any sexual contact will be consensual. How many rapists put a condom on first? Which is also offensive to the women.

[LastSummerHere]

This is beyond cruel...caging women, the vast majority of whom will have suffered head trauma and other violence at men's filthy hands, with males who hate them and with no chance of escape. Even to bring this to an end and protect future women, it means the women in prison today will have to endure this evil in order to bring the truth to light.

This is where transactivism has brought us and was always going to bring us....the most vulnerable in our society completely at the mercy of men's whims. To quote Glinner, transactivism is evil.

[Jackgrealishscurtains]

Whaaaaaaat?!

[EmbarrassingAdmissions]

This is part of the problem, of course.

True. Whenever something comes to the attention of a wider audience in the UK, so many men by default blame women and say, Where were all the feminists? - They don't accept the, Deplatformed. Subject to punitive workplace sanctions. Silenced. argument, of course, because it seems utterly unbelievable.

[LastSummerHere]

@EmbarrassingAdmissions

This is part of the problem, of course.

True. Whenever something comes to the attention of a wider audience in the UK, so many men by default blame women and say, Where were all the feminists? - They don't accept the, Deplatformed. Subject to punitive workplace sanctions. Silenced. argument, of course, because it seems utterly unbelievable.

They make me mad when they say this.

We are so awfully sorry men, that we aren't doing more to stop you from killing and abusing us.

[JustcameoutGC]

This is so so so upsetting. Those poor women. Validation fodder, that is all we are worth.

I wonder is there a pen pal system? I would love to write to one of them, show some solidarity.

[LastSummerHere]

I do think far too many people in power are loving getting the opportunity to abuse women, and using other men to do it.

[Whatwouldscullydo]

I do think far too many people in power are loving getting the opportunity to abuse women, and using other men to do it

Yes sadly this particular job as in many others will attract people who wish to try and take advantage of their position. I would also think.that a great deal of staff will decide they can't do this. That they went into prison work to try and make a difference and help to provide education and rehabilitation fir the women.

This will then leave only the staff who do not have the best interests of the women at heart.

And that frightens me as much as it does that they have males in there.

[MondayYogurt]

@Xoxoxoxoxoxox

I can't understand why there isn't more of a public outcry about it.
It beggers belief.

I think it's because a lot of people deep down want and enjoy the thought of "bad" women being sexually punished and abused.

People of both sexes.