Tag Archive for "criminalizing pregnancy"

Posts Tagged criminalizing pregnancy

The mother in jail for helping her daughter get an abortion tells her story

We’ve been following the case of Jennifer Ann Whalen, the mother who was prosecuted for helping her daughter get an abortion, for awhile. Whalen was charged with a felony after ordering abortion pills online without a doctor’s perscription, and she’s now serving up to 18 months in prison. (Basically, this woman should get every Mom of the Year Award ever.) Whalen, who wants nothing but privacy for her and her family, did grant one interview to Emily Bazelon right before she began her sentence. Here’s her story.

By Verónica Bayetti Flores • 11 years ago

“I didn’t know unborn children had lawyers.” Federal lawsuit challenges fetal protection laws

This month, National Advocates for Pregnant Women (NAPW) filed the first federal lawsuit challenging fetal protection laws that criminalize pregnant folks who, because of addiction or other reasons, expose their fetuses to drugs. The suit is on behalf of Alicia Beltran, a Wisconsin woman taken into custody for supposedly endangering her fetus when she refused treatment for an addiction she had already ended.

By Verónica Bayetti Flores • 11 years ago

Win: Indiana Attorney General backtracks on mandatory drug testing of pregnant folks

Remember last week when Indiana’s Attorney General was suggesting that drug-testing pregnant folks in Indiana was a great idea? Well it seems someone in the Indiana AG’s office has come to their senses, because yesterday his office emailed MoveOn and RH Reality Check to let them know that they are not supporting mandatory drug-testing:

Please allow us to set the record straight. As co-chair of the state’s Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Task Force, Attorney General Greg Zoeller spoke on Sept. 9 to the Indiana Commission on Mental Health and Addiction about Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS).

The attorney general’s comments should not be interpreted to imply that he supports mandatory opioid testing of any kind ...

By Verónica Bayetti Flores • 11 years ago

Indiana Attorney General suggests requiring drug-testing for pregnant women

Citing the cost of treating infants exposed to addictive drugs, Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller is calling on the state legislature to require the drug-testing of pregnant women:

It is called Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, or NAS, newborns exposed to addictive illegal or prescription drugs before they are born.

Attorney General Greg Zoeller says treating NAS at Indiana hospitals cost an estimated $30 million in 2011, the most recent year for which data is available, and he says that’s with limited tracking because hospitals are not required to report the condition.

Zoeller says one solution is requiring pregnant women take drug tests to identify the problem and start treatment before birth.

“You can reduce the length of stay for the newly born baby from ...

Citing the cost of treating infants exposed to addictive drugs, Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller is calling on the state legislature to require the drug-testing of pregnant women:

It is called Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, or NAS, newborns ...