Tell your District Attorney: Don't criminalize pregnancy | Texas

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    Tell your District Attorney: Don't criminalize pregnancy | Texas

    UPDATE: As of September 2021, The U.S. Supreme Court failed to act on an emergency petition from Texas abortion clinics essentially allowing the newest six week abortion ban to go in effect. 

    The new Texas law provides financial incentives for random people who sue a medical provider who performs an abortion past six weeks -- providing a loophole for governors and potentially pushing medical providers into financial ruin. 

    Bottom line: Black women and pregnant people bear the brunt of racialized reproductive control, the issue goes much deeper than abortion. But it’s crucial we fight back to maintain our bodily autonomy as we push toward holistic and anti-racist health care and we need your help to do it. 

    Your District Attorney has the power to intervene and get ahead of potential criminalization by committing to exercise their discretion and refuse to prosecute based on pregnancy outcomes. Here are the demands: 

    • Firm commitment to not prosecute abortion as well as other pregnancy outcomes and a public stance reaffirming this position. 
    • A declination policy that ensures child-bearers will not be prosecuted for their pregnancy outcomes and that feticide laws will not be used as a proxy for punishing pregnancy loss, including but not limited to:
      • Refusing to prosecute pregnant people related to miscarriages, stillbirths, or any form of pregnancy loss. 
      • Refusing to prosecute pregnant people related to actions during pregnancy, including medically-assisted or self-managed abortion, drug use/possession/distribution during pregnancy where the fetus, embryo, or fertilized egg is the alleged recipient, attempted suicide, fighting, or car accidents.

    Sign the petition: Demand your DA commits to refusing to prosecute based on pregnancy outcomes. 

     

    Below is the letter we will send to local District Attorneys: 

    Here is the Petition:

    As a prosecutor, you have an opportunity to take the right step in enforcing full humanity, dignity, and autonomy for pregnant people. 

    We are calling on you to make a commitment to refuse to criminalize pregnancy based on pregnancy outcomes. Because we believe that no one should be forced to undergo threat of arrest and incarceration because of an abortion, miscarriage, stillbirth, or any other outcome. 

    You have the power to intervene and get ahead of potential criminalization by committing to exercise your discretion and refuse to prosecute based on pregnancy outcomes. We are looking at you center the Black maternal health crisis by supporting the amplification, promotion, and implementation of solutions developed by Black, Brown, and Indigenous leaders addressing maternal health disparities in your county.

    Now is the time for you to take this monumental step toward doing what’s right for our communities. The time for you to act is now by saying NO to criminalizing pregnancy.