We want to share a video we made about Tammy Loertscher's experience challenging Wisconsin Act 292. We ask that you share her story with your social media community. We need her voice to be heard.
Under this law, the government can, in the context of secret juvenile court proceedings, take certain pregnant women into custody, appoint a lawyer for her embryo or fetus, and lock the woman up in a drug treatment program, mental hospital or jail based on evidence of pregnancy and current (or even past) use of any amount of alcohol or a controlled substance.
This law was promoted and passed 20 years ago by anti-choice activists who claimed that Act 292 would address the fabricated problem of "cocaine moms." Today, state officials are propping up Act 292 as a needed response to the current alarm and misinformation about pregnant women and opioid use. What the law actually does is allow government officials to separate mothers from children and to take ownership of women from the moment they are carrying a fertilized egg. This has implications for every aspect of women's rights and health, including the ability to get prenatal care and to have an abortion.
We will keep you updated on the next steps in this fight. Please find more information at AdvocatesforPregnantWomen.org.