U.S : 8 years in jail for a failed pregnancy ?!

Dear friend,

A Trump-appointed federal judge just cast the deciding vote ruling that a woman can be charged with involuntary manslaughter after the death of her premature baby.¹

This ruling is like something straight out of The Handmaid's Tale, criminalizing women for the outcomes of their pregnancies and setting a precedent that would lead directly to the end of Roe v. Wade.

Trump's courts and right-wing state legislators are waging an all-out attack on reproductive rights, and UltraViolet Education Fund is fighting back to defend reproductive freedom and stop the criminalization of pregnancy.

Will you donate $5 to UltraViolet Action and help stop the anti-choice attack on reproductive rights?

In August 2016, Samantha Flute's baby tragically died hours after being born. Then, an anti-choice federal prosecutor added to Samantha's pain by charging her with involuntary manslaughter because of her struggles with drug addiction during her pregnancy.

A lower court dismissed the charges, writing that there was a danger that "women could be charged with neglecting appropriate pre-natal care" if these charges were allowed to stand. The manslaughter law used was never meant to apply to a fetus. But the federal prosecutor appealed, and a right-wing Trump nominee cast the deciding vote reinstating the charges anyway.²

Charging a woman with manslaughter for actions she took while pregnant sets the stage for legal personhood for fetuses--and overturning Roe v. Wade.

This is just the latest in a series of anti-choice rulings and legislation attacking abortion rights. Just this year alone, Georgia and six other states have passed bans severely limiting abortions, and Alabama has passed a total ban.³ Tennessee is considering a total ban right now.⁴

To fight back, UltraViolet Education Fund is ramping up our campaign to protect Roe v. Wade and stop anti-choice judges and legislatures.

Will you chip in $5 to UltraViolet Action and help protect Roe v. Wade?

Thank you for joining in.

Shaunna, Kat, Karin, Holly, Kathy, Susan, Anathea, Emma, Natalie, Melody, Lindsay, Pam, Ryan, Sonja, and Kimberly, the UltraViolet Action team.

CONTRIBUTE

Sources :

1. Court Revives Manslaughter Charge in Baby’s Drug-Related Death, Courthouse News Service, July 5, 2019

2. Ibid.

3. Early Abortion Bans: Which States Have Passed Them? NPR, June 5, 2019

4. Tennessee lawmakers mull passing strict abortion ban, ABC News, August 12, 2019