Advocacy and community organizations recognize lawmakers for a bill that affects pregnant, incarcerated women

MANCHESTER, Ky. (WYMT) - Senator Raque Adams and Senate President Robert Stivers have been recognized for the passage of “Dignity Bill 2,″ which improves the conditions and treatment of pregnant and incarcerated women.

ACLU Kentucky, Pegasus Institute, Volunteers of America and Kentucky Youth Advocates came together Thursday to highlight the work of these two individuals and present Senator Adams with the “Women and Family Leadership Champion” award.

“When an honor like this is bestowed upon you, I get emotional, but I’m also very grateful because maybe hopefully a story like this will encourage someone else to get involved and to, you know, really make changes for people that don’t really have a voice right now,” said Adams.

Because of the efforts of Adams and Stivers, women like Denishia Brown have access to programs like the Volunteers of America’s Freedom House, which ensures that pregnant women and mothers are rehabilitated and not separated from their children:

“I’ve said it a million times and I’ll say it a million times again... when I came into the Freedom house, I had no future at all. But now I feel like I do,” said Brown.

To add even more excitement to the celebration, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Kentucky presented a $50,000 donation to Freedom House.

Jennifer Hancock, President & CEO of Volunteers of America Mid-states, says with the help of policymakers and generous organizations, she hopes to expand Freedom House even further to help more mothers and more children.

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