National Advocates for Pregnant Women (NAPW) works on behalf of all pregnant women including pregnant women who have been arrested and charged with child abuse or some other crime because they continued a pregnancy to term in spite of a drug problem.

A Measure of Justice for Regina McKnight
August 05, 2008

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By Barry Lester, PhD and Sue Veer, MBA, CMPE
State (Columbia, S.C.)
July 1, 2008

In 1991, Regina McKnight turned to cocaine to numb the pain she felt as a result of her mother's sudden death.

This week has been a big one for getting hard issues discussed in serious ways. Today, the newspaper of record for South Carolina ran a commentary by Barry Lester, PhD. and Sue Veer entitled A Measure of Justice for Regina McKnight.

Today, we were thrilled to learn that after 8 long years, the South Carolina Supreme Court has finally reversed the 20-Year Homicide Conviction of Regina McKnight. The unanimous decision recognizes that research linking cocaine to stillbirths is based on "outdated" and inaccurate medical information.

South Dakota's New Murderers
March 21, 2006

TomPaine.Com Commentary
By Lynn Paltrow and Charon Asetoyer
March 08, 2006
Lynn Paltrow is the executive director of National Advocates for Pregnant Women in New York and Charon Asetoyer is the executive director of the Native American Women's Health and Education Resource Center in South Dakota.

26 Public Health and Medical Groups to U.S. Supreme Court: Women Who Suffer Stillbirths Are Not Murderers

South Carolina Prosecutors Want Homicide Trials for Stillbirths That Follow Any Conduct "Publicly Known" to be Harmful to Fetus

DRUG POLICY ALLIANCE

For Immediate Release:
Contact: Tony Newman
Tuesday, July 29, 2003
510-812-3126

26 Public Health and Medical Groups to U.S. Supreme Court: Women Who Suffer Stillbirths Are Not Murderers

South Carolina Prosecutors Want Homicide Trials for Stillbirths That Follow Any Conduct "Publicly Known" to be Harmful to Fetus

Court Urged to Review South Carolina Case That Sets "Dangerous Precedent" and Jeopardizes Doctor-Patient Relationship

Twenty-six organizations consisting of physicians, nurses, counselors, social workers, and public health practitioners have joined together to file an amicus curiae brief today urging the U.S. Supreme Court to review State v. McKnight- a South Carolina case that resulted in the first homicide conviction of a woman for suffering a stillbirth.

Source: The Augusta Chronicle (Georgia)
Pubdate: June 2, 2003

S.C. Law To High Court

The U.S. Supreme Court is being asked to review an extremely controversial South Carolina legal issue involving women who destroy their advanced pregnancy by taking addictive substances.

To the Editor:

Re "Woman Is Convicted of Killing Her Fetus by Smoking Cocaine" (news article, May 18):

There are numerous causes of fetal demise. Many are related to what pregnant prosecution of Regina McKnight was an outrage, and her conviction (after 15 minutes of deliberation) a travesty.

As is often the situation in precedent setting new cases, prosecutors chose as their test case one in which there would be little sympathy or support for the woman they targeted. In this case they picked Regina McKnight, an indigent African-American woman with numerous health problems, a limited education, and a drug problem that began after her mother was killed in a hit and run accident.