The number of women being incarcerated is dramatically increasing. These women have separate needs from men in the realm of physical and mental health.
Women in correctional institutions should have access to preventative health procedures such as: pap smears, mammograms, and STI testing (which includes HIV). Having access to these preventative procedures will not only improve their health but help to establish habitual attitudes towards health after their release.
Women in correctional institutions should have access to adequate health care specific to their gender. These specificities include: menstruation, menopause and pregnancy. The prison diet is not one that can properly nourish a fetus.
This petition is not calling for special treatment for women but for human treatment.