An Alabama woman has filed a federal lawsuit claiming her civil rights - and those of her newborn daughter - were violated after jail staff allegedly left her to labor alone for more than a day, because apparently basic human decency isn't part of the inmate handbook.
Tiffany McElroy, now 28, was booked into the Houston County Jail in May 2024. Three days after arriving, she felt her water break weeks early, a pregnancy complication that could have progressed into sepsis. According to the lawsuit, she told a guard, expecting a trip to the hospital. Instead, another guard accused her of wetting herself and told her to go back to her cell. Over the next 24 hours, McElroy repeatedly begged jail employees to call 911 - while other inmates pounded on cell windows and tables pleading for help - but nobody did.
The lawsuit, filed by Pregnancy Justice on behalf of McElroy and her daughter, claims medical staff gave her only a diaper and Tylenol as she endured severe pain, worried about her baby's safety. Eventually, another inmate helped deliver the baby on the prison floor while guards watched. The newborn wasn't breathing at first; two women in the same pod revived her by removing mucus from her mouth and rubbing her until she cried. After delivery, a guard reportedly told the women: “Y’all should’ve pushed that motherfucking baby back in,” and punished the cell block by banning outdoor time, religious services, and phone privileges.
The Houston County Sheriff's Office did not respond to a request for comment. McElroy, who was released last year, said in a statement: “I’m so grateful that my baby and I are here today, and I owe that to other women because the guards treated me like I was less than nothing. My body was on fire, and I was terrified that I’d never see my other kids again. I have nightmares that we both died.”
The lawsuit, filed in the Middle District of Alabama, argues the events stem from a system focused on cutting costs over providing proper care at the Houston County Jail. It names 20 defendants, including guards, a nurse, and the county sheriff, accusing them of violating McElroy's constitutional rights. Kathy Youngblood, a former deputy and defendant, called the incident “barbaric” to NBC News, adding: “I tried to help her, but I was told I was going to be fired if I did help her, so I could not assist.”
This isn't the first time Alabama has made headlines for this kind of neglect. Another woman settled a federal civil rights lawsuit last year after being forced to give birth without medical help in a jail shower. Pregnancy Justice, which handled both cases, says this shows “a disturbing pattern of inhumane treatment” for pregnant women held on Chemical Endangerment of a Child charges for alleged drug use. Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, Alabama has led the nation in prosecuting pregnant women for drug-related charges - a policy reproductive rights advocates say grants rights to fetuses that compete with those of the people carrying them.