Black Women Bear the Brunt of Criminalized Pregnancy and Motherhood. Here’s Why We Can’t Afford to Ignore It

No one should be forced to undergo the threat of arrest and incarceration because of any pregnancy outcome.

By Erika Maye
7/16/21

Pregnancy means a time of joy, full of celebrations and preparations for exciting changes. But in the United States, for Black women on a journey to parenthood, it could mean a direct pathway to incarceration.

Last year, Maya Caston was incarcerated after reporting that she gave birth to stillborn twins. Instead of receiving support and care that was desperately needed, she was arrested and indicted by the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. This is a microcosm of the circumstances Black women face; from the time a Black person becomes pregnant, they are placed under a microscope. Every action she takes that is perceived as a threat to the fetus is a potential threat to her freedom. And for those suffering from addiction, the threat is even more severe, as the criminalization of Black people struggling with substance abuse is rampant. In short, the blatant disregard for Black women’s right to reproductive autonomy is a direct outcome of the battles waged over reproductive rights both before and after Roe v. Wade.

Continued: https://www.theroot.com/black-women-bear-the-brunt-of-criminalized-pregnancy-an-1847294583


USA – Self-Managed Abortion Is Medically Very Safe. But Is It Legally Safe?

Self-Managed Abortion Is Medically Very Safe. But Is It Legally Safe?

4/1/2020
by Carrie N. Baker

Between 1969 and 1973, feminists in Chicago with no formal medical training formed an underground abortion service called Jane that performed nearly 12,000 safe illegal abortions.

Today, as many states increasingly restrict medical professionals’ ability to offer abortion, women are once again finding ways to access safe abortion on their own.

Continued: https://msmagazine.com/2020/04/01/self-managed-abortion-is-medically-very-safe-but-is-it-legally-safe/


Using Anti-Choice Law to Criminalize Pregnancy Is Nothing New

Using Anti-Choice Law to Criminalize Pregnancy Is Nothing New
Six states have laws on the books making it a crime to self-induce an abortion or obtain one without the involvement of a medical professional.

May 14, 2019
Lynn Paltrow

For many years, my organization, National Advocates for Pregnant Women, has warned that anti-abortion measures and related fetal “personhood” laws would be used to criminalize pregnant women—and, indeed, they already are.

Those who had abortions have been targeted for criminal investigations, interrogations, arrests, convictions, and incarceration both before and after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Roe v. Wade. Nevertheless, for many people, the new abortion law passed in Georgia, which may open the door to arresting women, came as a surprise.

Continued: https://rewire.news/article/2019/05/14/anti-choice-law-criminalize-pregnancy/