The pandemic is exposing the harm done by the overregulation of certain medications people need as a matter of essential health. Join Amy J. Merrill (Digital Director at PlanC), Zachary C. Talbott (President of National Alliance for Medication Assisted Recovery) and Kendall Bentsen (Organizer at Pregnancy Justice) as they discuss how COVID-19 has highlighted barriers to accessing abortion pills for safe, self-managed abortions as well as MAT to treat substance use disorders.

Pregnancy Justice recently sent a thank you letter to New York State Attorney General Letitia James to thank her for her efforts to ensure women across New York and the nation are able to access safe, legal abortions during the coronavirus (COVID-19) public health crisis as part of the multistate coalition of 21 attorneys general.

The coronavirus pandemic is revealing barriers to safe, effective, and respectful care for pregnant people, whether they are seeking to end a pregnancy or to continue a pregnancy and give birth. Join Indra Lusero Staff Attorney() and Kendall Bentsen (Organizer) from the Pregnancy Justice, as they discuss the impact COVID-19 has had on abortion access and hospital birth in the U.S.

A panel discussion exploring the limits of individual rights during a public health crisis, how pregnancy and birth are uniquely affected by such limitations, and strategies for how people can advocate and be resilient in the face of inadequate and ineffective rights.

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Pregnancy Justice

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The coronavirus pandemic, and our country’s lack of preparedness for it, give us an opportunity to make important observations and learn (or relearn) key lessons. Foundational issues including severe income inequality, lack of a national health care system, and corporatization of public goods and services are being exposed during this pandemic.

In an 8-part series, the New York Times Editorial Board squarely addresses the core issues, intersectional frameworks, and cases Pregnancy Justice has been working on for more than 17 years. It recognizes Pregnancy Justice's leadership in defending the rights of pregnant women.

The war on drugs involves criminal laws that prohibit possession and distribution of certain substances by certain groups of people. It also responds to a public health issues (drug dependency) through the criminal law system. Laws that prohibit common human activities - such as drinking alcohol, using drugs, and having abortions have all failed to stop those activities.

Alicia Beltran, a 28-year-old pregnant woman, sought early prenatal care and confided in health care workers about prior use of painkillers and her efforts to end that use on her own. Instead of commending Ms. Beltran for her progress, her medical practitioners reported her to the Department of Human Services, as a result of which she was arrested on July 18, 2013 by Wisconsin law enforcement officials.

Dear Friends and Allies,

As many of you know, on June 26, a grand jury in Alabama indicted Marshae Jones for the crime of manslaughter because she experienced a pregnancy loss that she allegedly caused by being unable to protect herself from being shot in the stomach while 5 months pregnant.