As someone close to an inmate, Erin Taylor, presently incarcerated at the Arizona State Prison Complex Perryville, I have witnessed firsthand the disregard for her health. She battles a formidable enemy - cancer, a fight made all the more difficult due to grossly inadequate medical care. Trapped within the walls of the prison, she is failing, not due to the cancer alone, but due to medical negligence. The prison system is consistently failing in providing her, and so many others, with the necessary life-saving healthcare. This journey started with her brain surgery in April of 2022, where she was supposed to be started on radiation and chemotherapy shortly after initial recovery. We had to fight with the Arizona Department of Corrections for over a year to begin her initial radiation therapy. By that point, the cancer had aggressively grown back.

The scope of this issue extends beyond my personal narrative. A significant number of inmates across Arizona's prison system are grappling with serious health conditions and are not receiving appropriate medical care. This gross negligence is indicative of a systemic failure. The Civil rights law clearly establishes prisoners' rights to health care and the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that deliberate indifference to serious medical needs of prisoners constitutes the "unnecessary and wanton infliction of pain," proscribed by the Eighth Amendment (Estelle v. Gamble, 1976).

Yet, the blatant violation of prison healthcare rights is a tragic reality. We need urgent policy changes to assure that incarcerated individuals are provided the rightful medical attention they need. The Prison Litigation Reform Act, passed in 1996, makes it more difficult for prisoners to file lawsuits in federal court. This needs to be revised to assure prisoner's rights to rightful healthcare.

Everyone, regardless of their incarceration status deserves the right to proper medical care, especially in life-threatening situations. Stand with us as we bring attention to the dire state of prison healthcare in Arizona, fighting for the rights of those whose voices have been silenced. Fighting for the rights of a voice that is very special to me, Erin Taylor.

We urgently call upon the state of Arizona, and on the Arizona Department of Corrections to reassess their medical care policies and programs and institute crucial changes to save the lives of inmates like my dear one.

Let's cast aside indifference and demand action, demonstrating our commitment to human rights, one signature at a time. Please sign this petition and join us in demanding that these inmates receive the medical attention they direly need. The fight for me began with Erin, it brought light to the reality of the situation happening for many inmates across our state, let’s light a spot light on her situation, in turn helping many others going through the same thing. 

Any journalists or media personnel interested, please feel free to reach out to me, I can put you in contact with Erin as well. Coverage on this could save her life, as well as others going through the same situation.