Indiana v. Purvi Patel
Despite extensive public outcry, including petitions to the prosecutor, Purvi Patel was charged with feticide and ͞negligent treatment of a child͟ in Indiana in 2013-14 for allegedly seeking to terminate her pregnancy at home with medication.
On September 20, 2018, feticide and involuntary manslaughter charges were dismissed against Kelli Driskel. In December of 2017, Ms. Driskel went to the emergency room after experiencing a stillbirth at home. An autopsy was later performed on the fetal remains and the cause of death was determined to be placental abruption with "acute methamphetamine intoxication" listed as a contributing factor.
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.
Indiana Court of Appeals Rules that Legislature Did Not Intend to Punish Women Who Have Abortions
Patel’s Conviction for Neglect of a Dependent Modified, Reducing Her Sentence
On July 22, 2016, the Indiana Court of Appeals announced its decision to overturn the conviction of Purvi Patel for the crime of feticide.
October 30, 2015
Trial Court: State of Indiana v. Purvi Patel
Brief filed in the St. Joseph Superior Court
Brief of Amicus Curiae National Advocates for Pregnant Women, Health and Bioethics Experts, Reproductive Justice and Women's Rights Organizations (11/6/14)
Appellate Court: Purvi Patel v. State of Indiana
Briefs filed in the Court of Appeals of Indiana
Appellant's Brief - Filed by Attorneys Joel Schumm and Lawrence C. Marshall
Brief of Amicus Curiae National Advocates for Pregnant Women, Health and Bioethics Experts, Reproductive Justice and Women's Rights Organizations (10/1/15)
Brief of Amici Curiae Asian-American and Pacific Islander Organizations in Support of Appellant
Brief of Amici Curiae National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum and Center on Reproductive Rights and Justice at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, et al.
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.
Statement of National Advocates for Pregnant Women Opposing Arrest of Georgia Woman as Murderer for Home Abortion Attempt
According to Georgia prosecutors, 23-year-old Kenlissia Jones has been arrested and is being held without bond, facing a possible charge of "malice murder," based on the claim that she used misoprostol, a medication with the brand name Cytotec, to terminate her own pregnancy.
National Advocates for Pregnant Women was the first national organization to offer support to Jennie McCormack, an Idaho woman who was arrested for having an abortion. We are thrilled to report an important victory in Ms. McCormack's case. Last week, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued its second opinion in McCormack v. Herzog, holding that it is unconstitutional to prosecute women for having abortions, and striking down several parts of Idaho's laws that limit women's rights and access to abortion.
Last week, an Indiana judge sentenced Purvi Patel to 20 years in prison for what she has consistently maintained was a miscarriage, becoming the first woman in the United States to be convicted of the crime of feticide for supposedly attempting to self-induce an abortion.
NATIONAL ADVOCATES FOR PREGNANT WOMEN DECRIES PURVI PATEL'S SENTENCE OF 41 YEARS
First Conviction and Sentence for the Crime of FeticideBecause a Woman Sought to Terminate Her Own Pregnancy
South Bend, Indiana: Today, a St. Joseph County judge sentenced Purvi Patel to 41 years for the crimes of feticide and neglect of a dependent (Patel will serve 20 of the 41 years in prison). While Patel consistently maintained that she experienced a miscarriage, prosecutors claimed that she attempted to terminate her own pregnancy but gave birth to a baby who she then neglected and allowed to die.
