Amicus Briefs filed in Kentucky Supreme Court
Today, February 24th, Pregnancy Justice filed a public health amicus brief on behalf of ACOG, the APA, and other groups before the Kentucky Supreme Court in Cochran v. Commonwealth in a case where a woman was prosecuted for continuing her pregnancy to term in spite of a drug problem.
Ina Cochran was prosecuted in flagrant disregard for Kentucky state law, embodied in its Maternal Health Act and binding KY Supreme Court precedent in Commonwealth v. Welch. Pregnancy Justice files this amicus brief to highlight the negative public health consequences that will arise if women are punished for becoming mothers.
This brief was signed by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (“ACOG”), American Psychiatric Association, National Perinatal Association, Kentucky Coalition for Women’s Substance Abuse Services, Kentucky Psychiatric Medical Association, American Society of Addiction Medicine, Child Welfare Organizing Project, National Association of Social Workers, National Coalition for Child Protection Reform, Northwest Women’s Law Center, National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, Pathways, Inc., Baron Edmond de Rothschild Chemical Dependency Institute of Beth Israel Medical Center,, The Drug Policy Alliance, People Advocating Recovery, Sistersong Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective, Our Bodies Ourselves, The Healing Place Women’s and Children’s Community, Law Students for Reproductive Justice, Fran Belvin, CPAT, Susan Barron, PhD, Susan Boyd, PhD, Stephanie S. Covington, PhD, LCSW, Nancy Day, PhD, Lynn Posze, MA, LPCC, and Carol Stange, MSSW