Pregnancy Loss

WHAT WE DO

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.