On behalf of National Advocates for Pregnant Women (NAPW), we respectfully submit this written testimony in opposition to Senate Bill 216. We are a non-partisan legal advocacy organization dedicated to the welfare of pregnant people and their families. Our testimony draws on over 20 years of work on cases in which state actors intervened in a pregnant woman’s medical decision-making or punished a pregnant or postpartum woman and her family on the basis of something she may have or may not have done while pregnant.
NAPW and ACLU of Illinois File Human Rights Complaint on Behalf Of New Mother Who Endured Non-Consensual and Discriminatory Drug Testing, Reporting to DCFS Because of Poppy Seed Consumption
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 3, 2022
CHICAGO – On January 28, 2022, National Advocates for Pregnant Women (NAPW) and the ACLU of Illinois filed a charge of discrimination against Saint Alexius hospital with the Illinois Department of Human Rights for a discriminatory, non-consensual drug test of a first-time mother, Ms. F., before she went into labor.
National Advocates for Pregnant Women and NYCLU File Complaints on Behalf of Mothers Reported to Child Protective Services After Poppy Seed Consumption Caused False Positive Drug Test Results
Advocates call for end to discriminatory nonconsensual drug testing of pregnant people
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 17, 2021
ORANGE COUNTY – The New York Civil Liberties Union and National Advocates for Pregnant Women (NAPW) filed state Division of Human Rights (DHR) complaints on behalf of Crystal H. and Jane Doe, respectively, who were drug tested without consent when giving birth at Garnet Health Medical Center in Middletown, New York.
NAPW testifies in support of Massachusetts bill H.221
On June 15 2021, NAPW provided comments to the Massachusetts Senate Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities and Chair Senator Adam Gomez in strong support of bill H.221. This bill will reduce unnecessary reporting and counterproductive family separation, and thereby benefit maternal, fetal, and child health.
Webinar Recording Available! When Pregnancy is Used to Deny Pregnant Patients Their Civil and Human Rights
Experts Address the Rights of Pregnant Patients to Informed Consent, Bodily Integrity, and Medical Decision Making
What happens when a pregnant patient exercises their right to medical decision making? Is there any justification to override a pregnant patient’s consent? Join NAPW for a discussion featuring leaders in bioethics, medicine, law and birth justice about pregnant patients' rights to informed consent, bodily integrity, and medical decision making and the trauma that forced medical interventions can inflict on pregnant people.
A National Call for Birth Justice and Accountability. How many Black, Brown, and Indigenous people have to die giving birth?
In July 2020, NAPW joined numerous allies including Ancient Song Doula Services and Black Mammas Matter in signing an open letter that served as a national call for birth justice and accountability. NAPW knows that just as police misuse their authority against Black, Brown, and Indigenous people on the streets, they also do so in hospitals and delivery rooms and with the assistance of health care professionals.
NAPW Statement in Support of Black Lives, Black Lives Matter, and Reproductive Justice for Black Lives (RJ4BlackLives.org)
National Advocates for Pregnant Women mourns the death of George Floyd and the death of every Black person murdered by police forces in the United States. We recognize the systemic problem of police brutality and join the Black Lives Matter movement in calling for immediate and radical change.
Race, Pregnancy, and the Opioid Epidemic: White Privilege and the Criminalization of Opioid Use During Pregnancy
In NAPW's study, Arrests of and Forced Interventions on Pregnant Women in the United States, 1973-2005: Implications for Women's Legal Status and Public Health, Jeanne Flavin and Lynn M. Paltrow documented the fact that an overwhelming and disproportionate number of arrests and detentions were brought against women of color and especially low-income Black women.
NAPW at American Bar Association’s National Conference on Parent Representation
NAPW Senior Staff Attorney Amber Khan and Director of Legal Advocacy Nancy Rosenbloom attended and spoke at this year’s American Bar Association National Conference on Parent Representation in Washington, D.C. in April 2019. This conference “is designed for advocates who focus on parent advocacy in the child welfare system”, including many parent defense attorneys from around the country.
Violence Against Women in the Medical Setting: An Examination of the U.S. Foster System
On May 31, 2019, National Advocates for Pregnant Women (NAPW), along with Movement for Family Power and 20 non-governmental organizations, activists, public defense offices, academics, and others who work every day to advance the human rights of pregnant and parenting people submitted a set of recommendations to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women regarding the United States child protection and foster system.