Celebrity Stories
Amanda Knox’s Fertility Sentence
Eloise Edington | 19 Nov 2021
When people are sentenced to prison, onlookers rarely consider the fertility of the convicted. But for female inmates spending time behind bars, each day is a different kind of sentence. The days served may increase, the release date may draw closer yet for women in prison, fertility windows are narrowing in what Amanda Knox calls an “infertility crisis”.
By Holly Pigache
Featured image credit: Amanda Knox IG Official
Forced into Infertility
Last week, Amanda Knox shared her family planning nightmare (click here to read Fertility Help Hub’s Shared Stories). Knox published her emotive story on Oprah Daily, opening up about her experiences of pregnancy, miscarriage and relentlessly trying to conceive.
Punitive Sentencing
In 2007, Knox was wrongfully convicted of murdering her roommate, Meridith Kercher. At the time, Knox was living in Perugia, Italy as an American student studying abroad and faced 26 years in prison for a crime she didn’t commit. In the early days of her incarceration, Knox tried to come to terms with over two decades behind bars and a future without children. It wasn’t easy.
I’d naively assumed that the truth couldn’t help but win out, that this was all a misunderstanding.
If a woman is released beyond her fertile years, “she’s effectively sentenced… to infertility.” Knox acknowledges that “overly long and punitive sentences” also affect men’s family-building plans, but not in the same way they do for women.
Let’s not also forget that Meredith Kercher’s family are sentenced to a life with no grandchildren or nieces and nephews.
A Hopeful Future
Ultimately, Knox was imprisoned for four years and last month gave birth to her daughter at the age of 34. She knows many women aren’t as fortunate.
Seeking to help others, Knox urges us to “support organizations like the Sentencing Project” that promote humane responses to crime through racial, ethnic, economic and gender justice.
Whilst we can help through supporting and funding, for now, Knox’s focus is a little closer to home. In an Instagram post announcing her newborn, she vows to do “the best [she] can” to protect her child from the troubles that have plagued Knox herself.
If you’re concerned about your mental wellbeing whilst TTC or just want to speak with someone, we have 25% off research-based, doctor recommended programmes with code FertilityHelpHub25. Click here to find out more.
We know that challenges with infertility never leave us and our incredible network of members always offer support and advice for anyone who needs it.
