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Contacto: media@pregnancyjusticeus.org

At least 412 prosecutions documented; majority of cases involved charges under child abuse or endangerment laws, demonstrating the harm to pregnant people of giving legal rights to embryos and fetuses.

NEW YORK — In the first two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe contra Wade, prosecutors have charged at least 412 people with pregnancy-related crimes, according to new data released today by Pregnancy Justice.

The report, Pregnancy as a Crime: An Interim Update on the First Two Years After Dobbs, includes cases spanning 16 states, with Alabama (192), Oklahoma (112), and South Carolina (62) accounting for the majority of cases.

“This data shows how giving separate legal rights to fertilized eggs, embryos, and fetuses has real and dangerous consequences for pregnant people,” said Lourdes A. Rivera, presidenta de Justicia del Embarazo. “Every one of these 412 cases represents a woman who faced investigation, arrest, and trauma—often after seeking health care. Instead of investing in maternal and reproductive health, prosecutors are weaponizing the law against pregnant people, especially in states already facing maternal mortality and infant health crises.”

Additional findings include:

  • The vast majority of cases were brought under child neglect, endangerment, or abuse laws — statutes used by prosecutors beyond their original intent to target pregnancy.
  • 399 of the 412 cases involve allegations of substance use during pregnancy, despite every major medical organization opposing a criminal response because it harms mothers and their pregnancies.
  • 31 prosecutions targeted people who experienced a pregnancy loss, treating miscarriage and stillbirth as suspicious events rather than personal, medical experiences.
  • 9 cases involved abortion-related allegations, such as seeking information online or ordering abortion medication.


The preliminary data released today identifies 261 cases in the first year post-dobbs and 151 cases in the second year post-dobbs. This report should be understood as an undercount as collecting this data is often challenging: There is no centralized database to view arrest or court records across the U.S., most charges are brought under common statutes not specific to pregnancy or abortion, and court record systems vary by state or county. As it can take months or years for cases to be identified and analyzed, the total numbers for each year will continue to be updated annually.

This data is part of a multi-year research study in partnership with Professor Wendy A. Bach at the University of Tennessee, Professor Madalyn Wasilczuk at the University of South Carolina, and with additional support from the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Alabama.

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Justicia del embarazo advances and defends the rights of pregnant people, no matter if they give birth, experience a pregnancy loss, or have an abortion. No one should lose their rights because of pregnancy.