Pregnancy Justice

Pregnancy Justice, formerly National Advocates for Pregnant Women, works to ensure that no one loses their rights because of pregnancy or because of their capacity for pregnancy, focusing on pregnant people who are most at risk of state control and criminalization: those who are low-income, of color, and drug-using. We defend people who are charged with crimes because of pregnancy or any pregnancy outcome — including birth, miscarriage, stillbirth, and abortion — through direct representation and strategic legal advocacy. We seek to minimize the harm of the criminal legal system and family policing system, keep families together, and protect against other forms of state control and violence. We defend constitutional and civil rights by challenging laws and actions that violate pregnant people's rights and diminish their full personhood. Every case we litigate is an opportunity to mobilize local public health, medical, and social justice experts and advocates. We also center the experiences of criminalized people and engage in responsible narrative shifting to educate policymakers, practitioners, and the public. We document and analyze every case of pregnancy-related criminalization in the country and use our findings to inform legal strategy, academic research, and policy.

575 8TH AVENUE Suite 700, New York, NY 10018