Pregnancy Justice

“Candi Miller’s health was so fragile, doctors warned having another baby could kill her. But when the mother of three realized she had unintentionally gotten pregnant in the fall of 2022, Georgia’s new abortion ban gave her no choice.“

EVERY pregnant person should be able to secure the healthcare they need without fear of arrest and punishment. These heartbreaking and preventable deaths are a result of dangerous abortion bans and states that view the life of a person as expendable once a fetus is involved. None of this is right. https://www.propublica.org/article/candi-miller-abortion-ban-death-georgia

This is devastating. Doctors warned state legislators women would die if medical procedures needed to save lives became illegal. And that is exactly what is happening. Amber Thurman should still be here today. No one should be pushed to the brink of death before receiving emergency healthcare.

https://www.propublica.org/article/georgia-abortion-ban-amber-thurman-death

Pregnant people should be treated as patients, not suspects — especially during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives.

Amari Marsh faced a murder charge for experiencing a pregnancy loss at home. After 18 long months, a grand jury decided not to indict her, but she NEVER should have endured this harm in the first place. Thanks to the coalition of organizations that came together to defend Amari. When we fight bogus charges, we win.

“By criminalizing possession of abortion medication, the Venn diagram of overlap between the “war on drugs” and the war on reproductive freedom has, once again, become a perfect circle.

The efforts to control reproduction and drugs are rooted in the same forms of bigotry: controlling women’s behavior and liberties rather than providing actionable solutions to satisfy public health needs.”

This means pregnant people in Hennepin County, Minnesota will be at less risk of criminalization in the future, keeping them and their babies safer. It’s never too late to make the right decision!

The Olympics are over... now what do we do with our lives?

venn diagrams >>>

It takes all of us rejecting pregnancy criminalization to protect the rights of all pregnant people✅ Our report, “Confronting Pregnancy Criminalization,” provides helpful tools for practitioners to uphold bodily autonomy and prevent state control. Read more at the link in our bio!

Bodily autonomy and access to healthcare are fundamental to reproductive and disability justice, but people with disabilities still face rampant discrimination across institutions. Pregnant people with disabilities are more vulnerable to having their human rights threatened, facing coercive and unconsented medical procedures like forced sterilization. We must include people with disabilities in our fight for reproductive justice and against pregnancy criminalization — this and always.

Another day, another ridiculous fetal personhood argument squashed✅ Becoming pregnant should never be a reason to take away a person’s rights, including their right to use legal medications. Read more at the link in our bio.

No pregnancy outcome should involve the carceral system. Join
The Bronx Defenders' Dinah Ortiz, Healthy and Free Tennessee's Briana Perry, and our own Karen Thompson as we envision an abolitionist future.

Register to join us in Nashville on the 20th: http://bit.ly/TN2014_2024

Fetuses aren’t entitled to equal protection, but we are! 👀📢💥🙂‍↕️ Allowing states to establish fetal personhood through the 14th Amendment is just another way to ban abortion, criminalize pregnancy, and threaten bodily autonomy. Don’t be fooled!

Pregnant people are people, and they deserve the same emergency care as everyone else.

This Wednesday—join our president, Lourdes Rivera, Dr. Meera Shah of Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic, Reva Siegel of Yale Law School & Jessica Bruder to discuss where abortion access, reproductive rights, and women’s healthcare stand post-Dobbs.

🗓️06/26
📍NYPL The New York Public Library
⏰ 7pm ET
🎟️ Register for free!

Protecting Reproductive Freedoms: Lourdes Rivera, Meera Shah, Reva Siegel, and Jessica Bruder Tickets for Protecting Reproductive Freedoms: Lourdes Rivera, Meera Shah, Reva Siegel, and Jessica Bruder in New York from NYPL. A panel of experts fighting for reproductive justice and access discusses today’s most pressing issues and roadblocks. Featuring: Lourdes Rivera, President of Pregnancy

Roe provided a false sense of security. Since its fall two years ago, anyone who can get pregnant is increasingly at risk of criminalization for ANY pregnancy outcome—especially people of color and poor people.

This is why we fight for access and autonomy. Anything else is unacceptable.

Yesterday was so much fun! 🩷 Thanks to everyone who watched BABES with us and stayed to chat with , Dana, and . And thank you to Williamsburg for being such great hosts!

We’re seeking legal fellows! Rising 3Ls and recent law school graduates interested in social justice, gender justice, racial justice, equity, or public health—join us to help ensure that fewer people have to fight the criminal legal system alone while facing pregnancy-related charges⚖️

Apply by July 15 for priority consideration! https://pregnancyjustice.bamboohr.com/careers/37

Calling all BABES! During a gloomy time for repro, join us for joy and laughter at an exclusive screening of ! Then stick around for a panel with the one and only & ’s Dana Sussman, moderated by . Tickets are limited, so get yours now at bit.ly/pj-babes!

The Supreme Court made the only right choice by refusing to give in to anti-abortion extremists. Access to Mifepristone remains the same, but we know the fight against pregnancy criminalization is far from over.

Texas continues to relegate pregnant people to second-class status in the name of fetal personhood. This is what we're up against, and we can't stop.

Thank you, Center for Reproductive Rights for taking up the case and to each and every woman who told her personal story. We know it's not easy, but we see you, hear you, and appreciate you.

📢 WE NEED YOUR HELP! Tell Speaker Carl Heastie to prioritize the Informed Consent Act this session. Template: http://bit.ly/ICNY-template

This racial & reproductive justice bill is vital to the health of perinatal people & their newborns. Swipe for a call/email template. Right now, healthcare providers are drug testing and screening perinatal people and their newborns without informed consent and reporting the results to family policing agencies. This practice makes newborns and their families less safe by deterring pregnant people from seeking prenatal care and causing long-lasting negative health outcomes for children and families. We need the Informed Consent Act which would require healthcare providers to obtain written and verbal informed consent before drug testing or screening perinatal people or their newborns. Want to learn more about the bill? Visit our NEW website at informedconsentny.com.

Note on language: The Informed Consent Coalition uses the term “perinatal people” more often than “pregnant women,” as it reflects the full birthing process (from pregnancy to postpartum) and is gender neutral.

Thanks Tessa Stuart and Rolling Stone for working with us on this piece about pregnancy criminalization and our fight in Alabama to protect pregnant people from unjust treatment! AL arrests more pregnant women for actions that wouldn’t be considered crimes if they weren’t pregnant than any other state in the country, and it’s all because of fetal personhood. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/alabama-fetal-personhood-ivf-abortion-1235018366/

It’s Mental Health Awareness Month! We know the real harm is abortion stigma, the lack of knowledge about it, and the lack of access. All of these factors can perpetuate mental health problems for people who need support. Having an abortion should be safe, legal, and a decision met without judgment. 💚

Source:

Pushing long-term birth control on poor women & women of color is a form of reproductive control rooted in a long history of classism and racism in the medical system and reproduction.

People should be supported in making the best decision for them.

Women Say They Were Pressured Into Long-Term Birth Control Doctors are more likely to push long-term contraceptives when treating Black, Latina, young, and low-income women.

Using stigmatizing language about pregnancy & substance use keeps people from getting the treatment and support they need. The stakes are high.

UCSF Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health's NEW messaging guide offers guidance that promotes the health & wellbeing of pregnant people. https://bixbycenter.ucsf.edu/guide-accurate-and-compassionate-communications-drug-and-alcohol-use-during-pregnancy