Pregnancy Justice's groundbreaking report Harming Fathers: How the Family Court System Forces Men to Regulate Pregnancy analyzes and documents dozens of cases across 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 women during their pregnancies.

People parent. People use drugs. People parent and use drugs. Despite how common this is, parenting and drug use is highly stigmatized, rarely talked about, and punishable by the state within both the criminal and family legal systems. But, we know that not all parents are faced with family separation and criminalization.

Pregnancy Justice Staff Attorney Samantha Lee testified in support of a California bill that will ensure that no one in the State of California will be prosecuted for ending a pregnancy or experiencing pregnancy loss. In her testimony, Ms. Lee shared a statement from Pregnancy Justice's client, Chelsea Becker, who was charged with murder for experiencing a stillbirth in Kings County, California.

Pregnancy Justice has submitted written testimony opposing two bills in Wyoming, both of which would criminalize substance abuse during pregnancy. Read more for details on each bill and the reasons behind our opposition.

Download PDF version of testimony opposing HB0085.

Download PDF version of testimony opposing SF0089.

Testimony in Opposition to HB0085, "Child endangering-controlled substance use while pregnant"

Thank you for the opportunity to submit this testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee of the Wyoming Senate.