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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 for ending a pregnancy or experiencing pregnancy loss. In her testimony, Ms. Lee shared a statement from NAPW's client, Chelsea Becker, who was charged with murder for experiencing a stillbirth in Kings County, California.
Watch the webinar recording on our YouTube channel.
NAPW, JMacForFamilies, Drug Policy Alliance, The Bronx Defenders, and The University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work convened to discuss the role social workers play in the oppression, criminalization, and surveillance of pregnant and postpartum people within the criminal and family policing (commonly known as child welfare) systems.
Last week, the Arizona Court of Appeals reversed the Arizona Department of Child Safety’s decision to place Lindsay R. on its child abuse and neglect Central Registry for 25 years for using legally prescribed marijuana to treat her hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), a condition that causes severe nausea and vomiting and can endanger the life of the pregnant woman and her pregnancy.
On March 18, 2022, a judge in Kings County, California reversed Adora Perez's guilty plea and vacated her 11-year sentence, sending the case back to the trial court for new proceedings. In 2018, Adora Perez, poorly advised by her court-appointed counsel, pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter of her fetus, a crime that doesn't exist in California.
Download PDF of testimony in support of HB 0626, Pregnant Person's Freedom Act
Download PDF of testimony in support of HB 1135, Perinatal Care: Drug and Alcohol Testing and Screening Consent
Testimony of National Advocates for Pregnant Women in Support of HB 0626, Pregnant Person’s Freedom Act
National Advocates for Pregnant Women (NAPW) respectfully submits this written testimony in support of HB 0626, a bill that protects pregnant people from criminalization related to pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes, including miscarriages, stillbirths, and abortions.
NAPW is a non-partisan legal advocacy organization dedicated to the welfare of pregnant people and their families. Our testimony draws on over 20 years of experience on cases in which state actors arrested and prosecuted pregnant or postpartum women for experiencing pregnancy losses or engaging in acts or omissions that posed some imagined risk of harm to a fetus.
NAPW has submitted written testimony opposing two bills in Wyoming, both of which would criminalize substance abuse during pregnancy. Read more for details on each bill and the reasons behind our opposition.
Download PDF version of testimony opposing HB0085.
Download PDF version of testimony opposing SF0089.
Testimony in Opposition to HB0085, "Child endangering-controlled substance use while pregnant"
Thank you for the opportunity to submit this testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee of the Wyoming Senate.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 23, 2022
On February 22, 2022, the District Attorney in Lauderdale County, AL dropped an unprecedented felony charge for Unlawful Possession or Receipt of Controlled Substances (“Unlawful Possession”) against Kimberly Blalock, a mother of six.
Contact Northwell Health and ask them to resolve Rinat Dray’s case and to take steps to ensure pregnant patients are never again forced to undergo medical procedures without consent.
Background:
Rinat Dray was pregnant with her third child in 2011, and after two cesarean surgeries, she was committed to finding a provider who would be open to the possibility of, and respect her desire for, a Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC). She chose Northwell Health’s Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH). Despite advertising itself as a VBAC-friendly hospital, Ms. Dray’s birth experience at SIUH was even worse than her previous ones.
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.
