More Than A Magazine, A Movement
If the unborn have 14th Amendment rights, any loss of pregnancy, whether intentional or not, will become the basis for arrest and prosecution. Pregnant people could be sued, or prevented from engaging in travel, work or any activity that is believed to create a risk to the life of the unborn.
In a historic move to combat systemic racism, Massachusetts lawmakers have passed Bill H.4818, “An Act to Reduce Racial Inequities in Maternal Health.”
Signed by Governor Charlie Baker on January 13, 2021, the bill creates a legislative committee that will examine the racial inequities plaguing Massachusetts’ maternal health system.
A Fresno City College student, Marcella Mares, filed a complaint against an instructor who told her that it was inappropriate to breastfeed her 10-month-old during Zoom classes—even with her camera turned off. This is a prime example of micro-aggressions that student parents experience in college classrooms every day. It is also a violation of the law.
It’s still the case that too many women of color are fired or
forced out when they request a modest workplace accommodation to protect their health. Longer term, pregnancy discrimination pushes women deeper into poverty, jeopardizing the health and economic well-being of our families.
Last month, the House passed the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act with overwhelming bipartisan support. Now, we must call on the Senate to take up this bill without delay.
The US House of Representatives passed the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act which ensures pregnant workers are not denied reasonable accommodations.
Dr. Jamila Perritt of Physicians for Reproductive Health said the bill—if approved by the Senate and president—would “ensure that those who are most likely to work in some of the most challenging settings, like immigrants and those with low incomes, have the humane protections they deserve.”
A new study found that when states expanded Medicaid eligibility, pregnant people were less likely to lose health insurance postpartum. That’s a big deal, experts said.
For over nine months, 26-year-old Chelsea Becker has been sitting in jail, under a $2 million bail, for giving birth to a stillborn baby.
Becker is one of hundreds of women who have been arrested and prosecuted nationwide after experiencing miscarriages or stillbirths on a range of charges, including fetal assault, child abuse and chemical endangerment.
Every pregnant woman deserves compassionate care, and stories like the woman being forced to give birth in her pants make clear that immigration officials are not providing it.
“If I had to get a D&C for a very wanted pregnancy, would I do it in a hospital—and would I then end up exposed to coronavirus? Would that mean that I would spend 14 days in isolation in order to ensure that I didn’t pass the virus to my family?”
Working mothers need more than a village to raise a child—we need empathetic organizations that willingly provide flexible work schedules and phased returns, sanitary childcare facilities, safe pumping rooms and maternity leaves offered without punishment or penalty.