FRANKFORT, Ky. — A bill that would end solitary confinement of women who are pregnant while incarcerated has moved ahead in the Kentucky legislature.

Senate Bill 84 passed a committee Thursday.

Erika Eleson, who is now in long-term recovery, told committee members she was six months pregnant when she was arrested in 2014. 

“It’s scary in there being pregnant," she said. "It’s very, very scary ... When I went into labor, I had a C-section. I was shackled to the bed during my surgery. After major surgery, I was held in a two-person room with another mother and her child.” 

Eleson joined Republican Sen. Julie Raque Adams of Louisville in support of the bipartisan bill.

“Senate Bill 84 offers six weeks of postpartum care where currently there is none," Adams said. "It ends solitary confinement for incarcerated pregnant women, and pregnant women are uniquely harmed by solitary confinement.” 

The bill would also give mothers 72 hours with their child before returning to the corrections facility and provide access to community-based programs. 

“To acknowledge the importance not only of a secure and safe pregnancy for the mother but for the fetus that’s developing inside of the mother and then the ability for the mother to bond with that child," said Democratic Sen. Karen Berg of Louisville, a co-sponsor of the bill. 

Eleson described the impact community-based treatment has had on her life.

“We talk about giving folks a second chance, but some of us never had a first chance," she said. "When I was finally given a chance at community-based treatment, my life completely changed.”