# 119-s-916: Stop Shackling and Detaining Pregnant Women Act

119-s-916, Stop Shackling and Detaining Pregnant Women Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA] (D-WA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-916
- As of: 2026-08-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-916
- Congress: 119
- Title: Stop Shackling and Detaining Pregnant Women Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-03-10
- Sponsor: Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA] (D-WA)
- Cosponsors: 22
- Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-11

## Summary

**Limits on detention for pregnant, lactating, and postpartum noncitizens** is the central goal. The bill presumes release for people who are pregnant, nursing, or recently postpartum and builds strict medical, restraint, and review rules around any narrow exceptions. - Families and patients: It requires pregnancy testing at initial processing and a presumption of release for known pregnant, lactating, or postpartum noncitizens. Detained people must have access to comprehensive care including prenatal care, labor and delivery, postpartum services, contraception, abortion services, lactation support, HIV care, substance use treatment, and menstrual products. - Detention operations: Restraints are broadly banned except in extraordinary cases and then only the least restrictive method may be used. Several restraints are categorically prohibited, and any use must be documented within five days with records kept and privacy protections allowed. - Oversight and process: Detention under narrow exceptions gets a weekly individualized review completed within 72 hours and release within 24 hours if detention is no longer warranted. Facilities must train staff at hire and annually, maintain maternity hospital arrangements, and provide quarterly and annual reports with public access and privacy redactions.

## Cosponsors (22)

- Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] (D-CT), 2025-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ] (D-NJ), 2025-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE] (D-DE), 2025-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV] (D-NV), 2025-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL] (D-IL), 2025-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL] (D-IL), 2025-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Fetterman, John [D-PA] (D-PA), 2025-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY] (D-NY), 2025-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM] (D-NM), 2025-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI] (D-HI), 2025-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Kim, Andy [D-NJ] (D-NJ), 2025-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] (D-MN), 2025-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA] (D-MA), 2025-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA), 2025-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT] (I-VT), 2025-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA] (D-CA), 2025-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD] (D-MD), 2025-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA] (D-MA), 2025-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT] (D-VT), 2025-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (D-OR), 2025-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI] (D-RI), 2025-03-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Reed, Jack [D-RI] (D-RI), 2025-03-12T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Ban on shackles and privacy rules: benefit, low. This bill would ban most restraints on detained people known to be pregnant, lactating, or postpartum. Restraints could be used only in very rare emergencies and only the least-restrictive type. Certain restraints would be always banned, including leg, waist, four-point restraints, and any restrain…
- Presumed release for pregnant detainees: benefit, low. This bill would generally bar detaining people known to be pregnant, lactating, or within one year postpartum while their removal case is pending. Exceptions would be allowed only for rare, individualized findings of immediate, serious risk that cannot be mitigated by alternatives. If a detained pe…
- More pregnancy care and oversight: benefit, low. This bill would require ICE custody to provide comprehensive pregnancy and reproductive care, including prenatal care, labor and delivery, postpartum care, contraception, abortion services, substance use treatment, lactation support, and free menstrual products. The bill would require pregnancy tes…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026
- 119-s-1503: Equality Act
- 119-s-852: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-s-916 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/916)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-51)
- [119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5108)
- [119-s-1503: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1503)
- [119-s-852: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-852)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-916 (as of 2026-08-11).