Broad Support for NC Bill to Bar Shackling Pregnant Inmates Written by GARY D. ROBERTSON A bipartisan legislative effort to improve the care of pregnant women in North Carolina’s prisons and jails will protect the mothers and newborns without diminishing public safety, supporters said Tuesday. Among other protections, the bill would prohibit physical restraints on incarcerated women before, during and after they deliver their babies. Democratic and Republican lawmakers alike are backing the measure, and a wide array of groups across the ideological spectrum — from Planned Parenthood to the American Conservative Union — are on board. The proposed “Dignity for Women Who are Incarcerated Act, ” filed on Tuesday in the House, also attempts to ensure new mothers receive proper nutrition and hygiene, and that the mother-and-child relationship is secured through close contact and visitations. It also would limit inspections of any undressed female inmate in a prison or jail by male correctional officers or jailers.