NAPW defends women who are pregnant and experience pregnancy loss. 
NAPW is the leading organization providing pro bono (free) legal assistance to pregnant women who have been charged with a crime because they experienced a miscarriage or stillbirth, or gave birth to a baby who did not survive.
No matter what a woman does or does not do, many pregnancies will end in a miscarriage or stillbirth. Fifteen to twenty percent of all pregnancies (or approximately 1 million a year in the U.S.) will end in a miscarriage or stillbirth. This means that In the U.S. nearly 1 million women who get pregnant each year experience such losses. A small percentage of women also give birth to babies who do not survive their first 28 days of life.
Women who had every hope of continuing their pregnancy to term have been subjected to police investigations and arrests based on the claim that the woman “really” had an abortion, that she did or did not do something that caused the pregnancy loss, or because the woman did not know what to do following such a loss including not knowing how to dispose of fetal remains.
NAPW has played a major role in helping to get charges dropped and convictions overturned in numerous cases where a woman was charged with feticide, manslaughter, “depraved heart” homicide and homicide by child abuse because she experienced a stillbirth or other pregnancy loss.
NAPW believes that no person should fear arrest or be subjected to government control or retribution as a result of pregnancy or any outcome of pregnancy. Call us or have your lawyer reach us at 212-255-9252.
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The issue of pregnancy loss is in fact interconnected with the all of the other issues NAPW addresses and all of NAPW’s work reflects this.
For women who know they’re pregnant, 10-20% pregnancies end in miscarriage. Estimates are as high as 31% to 50% when including individuals who miscarry before knowing they are pregnant.
Physicians can't determine the cause of 25-65% of all stillbirths. It’s often impossible to distinguish pregnancy loss from an abortion.
Prosecuting a woman for stillbirth is cruel, inhumane, ignores root causes of poor pregnancy outcomes and perinatal loss, and discourages those who need prenatal care most.
National Advocates for Pregnant Women
Emily Akers of Oklahoma experienced a pregnancy loss at 20 weeks and was charged with manslaughter based on the theory that methamphetamine use caused ...
National Advocates for Pregnant Women
Note: this bill failed in committee. A Louisiana abortion ban containing language that would have allowed pregnant women to be charged with homicide ...
National Advocates for Pregnant Women
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 9, 2022.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Mary McNamara of Swanson & McNamara LLP, Mary@smllp.law; National Advocates ...
National Advocates for Pregnant Women
NAPW Staff Attorney Samantha Lee testified in support of a California bill that will ensure that no one in the State of California will be prosecuted ...
