The President-elect has stated that there must be some form of punishment for women who have abortions.
But, National Advocates for Pregnant Women has known for some time that punishing pregnant women - whatever the outcome of their pregnancies - is a present reality, not a hypothetical possibility.
Despite national and international developments that make many of us feel less than hopeful, NAPW has had a number of victories that remind us of the need to celebrate the accomplishments we have had.
Stand with Purvi Patel on Monday, May 23, 2016 at 2:00PM EST when she will fight her conviction and 20 year sentence in the Indiana Court of Appeals. Let the state of Indiana know you are watching! You can attend oral arguments at the Indiana Court of Appeals, or stream the oral argument live from the court’s website at 2:00PM EST on Monday, May 23.
In July of 2013, Purvi Patel, a 33-year-old Indian-American woman, went to an Indiana emergency room bleeding and seeking help.
A win in New York
On Oct. 22, the New York Court of Appeals reversed the manslaughter conviction of Jennifer Jorgensen.
NAPW challenge to Wisconsin law will go to federal court
On Sept. 30, a federal district court judge issued a ruling that allows NAPW to go forward with a constitutional challenge to Wisconsin's so-called "cocaine mom law." Passed in 1997, this law allows the state to detain pregnant women, at any stage of pregnancy, if they use or admit to past use of alcohol or drugs.
NEW YORK - On Oct. 8, the Arkansas Supreme Court reversed the conviction of Melissa McCann Arms, who was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for introducing a controlled substance into the body of another person when she gave birth in 2013. The Arms v. State of Arkansas victory comes a week after a federal district court ruling that allowed a constitutional challenge to the 1997 Wisconsin "cocaine mom" law to go forward.
On Sept. 8 the NY Court of Appeals (NY's highest court) will be hearing oral argument in the Jorgensen case. This New York case threatens to set a judicial precedent that would make pregnant women in New York State criminally liable for the outcomes of their pregnancies.
NAPW files amicus brief in N.Y. case
On July 24, NAPW filed an amicus curiae ("friend of the court") brief supporting Jennifer Jorgensen's appeal to New York's court of last resort in the case New York v. Jorgensen.
NAPW and our allies' recent victories show how important it is to resist attacks on pregnant women's personhood -- and how equally important it is to organize with our allies to reframe the debate.
Defeating Colorado Feticide Law
With NAPW's support, the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR), NARAL Colorado, Planned Parenthood of Colorado, and partners did what most thought would be impossible: We stopped Colorado from becoming the 39th state to adopt a feticide law.
Events of the past few weeks have provided important and troubling examples of the real - and dangerous - intent of those who want to overturn Roe v. Wade and recriminalize abortion.
