FRANKFORT — Pregnant women in jail or prison could not be shackled during labor or child birth under a bill passed Monday by the state Senate.

Senate Bill 133, sponsored by Sen. Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville, would also allow women charged with non-violent drug offenses to be released while awaiting trial. Such inmates would have to provide a legitimate current address and, however, if they violated the terms of their release, they would be returned to jail.

Women are the fastest growing population in the state’s jails and prisons, Adams said, noting Kentucky has the second highest female incarceration rate in the country. And one in four of them are either pregnant at the time they’re charged or have a child aged one year or less.

Medical groups like the American Medical Association and the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists say shackling a woman while in labor or during delivery endangers the health and life of both the mother and her child, Adams said.

The bill would also require jails and prisons to provide adequate nutrition to pregnant mothers in custody and require they receive adequate hygiene products and undergarments.

Another provision would require those convicted of murdering a peace officer or fireman to serve 85 percent of their sentences before becoming eligible for parole.

Sen. Alice Forgy Kerr, R-Lexington, is a co-sponsor of the bill who has a record of pro-life votes in the Senate. She called Senate Bill 133 a bill that “protects the un-born.”

“It is humane. It is decent. It is right,” Kerr said in urging colleagues to vote for the bill.

Sen. Danny Carroll, R-Paducah, opposed the bill, primarily because of the pre-trial release provision. Carroll suggested those released were likely to commit drug offenses when released, thereby endangering their unborn children.

The bill passed 33 to 4 with Carroll, Republicans Dan Seum of Louisville and Stephen West of Paris and Democrat Dorsey Ridley voting no. It now goes to the House for consideration.

Ronnie Ellis writes for CNHI News Service and is based in Frankfort. Reach him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cnhifrankfort.