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.
NAPW Achieving Justice in These Unjust Times
AR: Melissa McCann Arms v. State of Arkansas (AR Supreme Court)
November 09, 2015
Brief of Amici Curiae NAPW and experts in maternal and child health and drug treatment in support of appellant Melissa McCann Arms (04/03/2015)
Victories, Patel Update, TN Wrap-up, and Global Connections
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.
NAPW marks 2 legal victories in states that have incarcerated women based on pregnancy and drug-use claims; Appeal will free Arkansas woman, Wisconsin case moves forward
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.
New York Times Reports: ‘Purvi Patel Could Be Just the Beginning’
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.
Arkansas 2015 HB 1376 Opposition Letter
Arkansas 2015 HB 1376 Opposition Letter
April 06, 2015
Download Arkansas 2015 HB 1376 Opposition Letter.