Statements

An Announcement From Founder and Executive Director Lynn Paltrow

For immediate release
Contact: media@pregnancyjusticeus.org

NEW YORK — Today, founder Lynn Paltrow announced that she will be stepping down from the Executive Director role at Pregnancy Justice (formerly National Advocates for Pregnant Women) at the end of her sabbatical in May 2023.

She is working with the board and the staff to ensure a smooth transition, one that will occur with the benefit of Acting Executive Director Dana Sussman's leadership.

With Roe in the Balance, Pregnancy Justice Launches Multidisciplinary Confronting Pregnancy Criminalization Guide for Medical, Legal, Child Welfare, and Policy Professionals

June 23, 2022

As we await the anticipated fall of Roe and the subsequent loss of the constitutionally protected right to abortion, Pregnancy Justice today launched a first-of-its-kind, multidisciplinary guide to arm professionals with the tools and resources to reject the criminalization of pregnant people and their pregnancy outcomes — Confronting Pregnancy Criminalization: A Practical Guide for Healthcare Providers, Lawyers, Medical Examiners, Child Welfare Workers, and Policymakers.

Pregnancy Justice Releases Groundbreaking Report — “Harming Fathers: How the Family Court System Forces Men to Regulate Pregnancy” ; Reproductive Justice Is For Men, Too

Pregnancy Justice today released the groundbreaking report Harming Fathers: How the Family Court System Forces Men to Regulate Pregnancy , which analyzes and documents dozens of cases from around the country in which men have been labeled as abusive or neglectful — even losing access to their children — for failing to control the behavior of the women during their pregnancies.

After Four Long Years in Prison, Adora Perez’s Murder Charge for Stillbirth Is Dropped

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 9, 2022.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Mary McNamara of Swanson & McNamara LLP, Mary@smllp.law; Pregnancy Justice, media@advocatesforpregnantwomen.org; and ACLU of Northern California, press@aclunc.org

After four years in prison, Adora Perez's murder charge for experiencing a stillbirth has been dropped.

Progress for Adora Perez: Unlawful Manslaughter Conviction for Stillbirth Overturned

On March 18, 2022, a judge in Kings County, California reversed Adora Perez's guilty plea and vacated her 11-year sentence, sending the case back to the trial court for new proceedings. In 2018, Adora Perez, poorly advised by her court-appointed counsel, pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter of her fetus, a crime that doesn't exist in California.

Felony Charge Dropped Against Alabama Mother Who Renewed Valid Prescription to Manage Chronic Pain During Pregnancy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 23, 2022

On February 22, 2022, the District Attorney in Lauderdale County, AL dropped an unprecedented felony charge for Unlawful Possession or Receipt of Controlled Substances (“Unlawful Possession”) against Kimberly Blalock, a mother of six.

Pregnancy Justice and ACLU of Illinois File Human Rights Complaint on Behalf Of New Mother Who Endured Non-Consensual and Discriminatory Drug Testing, Reporting to DCFS Because of Poppy Seed Consumption

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 3, 2022

CHICAGO – On January 28, 2022, Pregnancy Justice and the ACLU of Illinois filed a charge of discrimination against Saint Alexius hospital with the Illinois Department of Human Rights for a discriminatory, non-consensual drug test of a first-time mother, Ms. F., before she went into labor.

Statement in Support of California AG’s Statewide Alert Regarding Legal Protections for Pregnant People

Remarks by Samantha Lee, Staff Attorney, as part of Attorney General Rob Bonta's press conference on 1/6/2022.

Thank you, Attorney General Bonta. My name is Samantha Lee and I am a staff attorney at Pregnancy Justice.

As an organization dedicated to advancing the civil and human rights of all people capable of pregnancy, Pregnancy Justice is honored to stand with Attorney General Bonta in support of this legal alert instructing district attorneys, police chiefs, and county sheriffs in California not to misuse the state’s murder statute to criminalize people for their pregnancy outcomes.

Pregnancy Justice and NYCLU File Complaints on Behalf of Mothers Reported to Child Protective Services After Poppy Seed Consumption Caused False Positive Drug Test Results

Advocates call for end to discriminatory nonconsensual drug testing of pregnant people

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 17, 2021

ORANGE COUNTY – The New York Civil Liberties Union and Pregnancy Justice filed state Division of Human Rights (DHR) complaints on behalf of Crystal H. and Jane Doe, respectively, who were drug tested without consent when giving birth at Garnet Health Medical Center in Middletown, New York.

Oklahoma Prosecution and Conviction of a Woman for Experiencing a Miscarriage is Shameful and Dangerous

On Tuesday, October 5, Brittney Poolaw, a 20-year-old Oklahoma woman, was convicted of manslaughter in the first degree for experiencing a miscarriage at 17 weeks and sentenced to 4 years in state prison.

Last year, Ms. Poolaw experienced a miscarriage and went to Comanche County Hospital for medical help.