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U.S. NEWS Thursday 26 sepTember 2024
More women are charged with pregnancy-related crimes since

Roe’s end, study finds

By GEOFF MULVIHILL bans abortion in most cas-
Associated Press es after the first six weeks of
It became more common for pregnancy. The family of one
authorities to charge women of them, Candi Miller, said
with crimes related to their she was avoiding seeking
pregnancies after the fall of medical treatment after she
Roe v. Wade in 2022, a new took abortion pills for fear of
study found — even if they’re being accused of a crime.
almost never accused of vio- States with abortion bans
lating abortion bans. — including 14 that bar it at
In the year after the U.S. all stages of pregnancy and
Supreme Court ended the four, such as Georgia, where
nationwide right to abor- it’s illegal after about the first
tion in its Dobbs v. Jackson six weeks — have exceptions
Women’s Health Organi- for women who self-manage
zation ruling, at least 210 abortions. But Bach said that
women across the country people seeking abortion
were charged with crimes have been charged with
related to their pregnancies, The exterior of the Alabama Supreme Court building in Montgomery, Ala., is shown Feb. 20, 2024. other crimes.
according to the report re- Associated Press “She did not want to seek
leased by Pregnancy Justice, help because of her fear that
an advocacy organization. with homicide. tive there wasn’t a stretch actually harmed. she would be prosecuted,”
That’s the highest number Because of confidentiality between 1973 and 2022 with Only one charge in the re- Bach said. “That is a really
the group has identified over provisions in the study, Bach as many cases as after the port alleged violations of an realistic fear.”
any 12-month period in re- would not reveal more de- Dobbs ruling. During the ear- abortion ban — and it was The majority of the cases
search projects that have tails on the case. But it was lier period, they found more a law that was later over- in the study came from just
looked back as far as 1973. one of 22 cases in the study than 1,800 cases — peaking turned. Citing privacy con- two states: Alabama with 104
Wendy Bach, a professor at that involved the death of a at about 160 in 2015 and cerns, the researchers did and Oklahoma with 68. The
the University of Tennessee fetus or infant. 2017. not identify the state where next state was South Caro-
College of Law and one “It’s an environment where Most of the cases since that charge originated. Four lina, with 10.
of the lead researchers on pregnancy loss is potentially Roe’s end include charges others involved abortion-re- Rivera said a common
the project, said one of the criminally suspect,” Lourdes of child abuse, neglect or lated allegations, including thread of those three states
cases was when a woman Rivera, president of Preg- endangerment in which the evidence that a woman who — which were also among
delivered a stillborn baby at nancy Justice, said in an fetus was listed as the victim. was charged had abortion the states with the most
her home about six or sev- interview. Most involved allegations of pills. cases of pregnancy-related
en months into pregnancy. The researchers caution that substance use during preg- Bach pointed to the news charges before the Dobbs
Bach said that when the the tally of cases from June nancy, including 133 where organization ProPublica’s ruling — is that their supreme
woman went to make funer- 24, 2022, through June 23, it was the only allegation. reporting last week about courts have issued opinions
al arrangements, the funeral 2023, is an undercount, as The group said most of the two Georgia women whose recognizing fetuses, embryos
home alerted authorities and were earlier versions. As a charges do not require proof deaths a state commission or fertilized eggs as having
the woman was charged result, they can’t be posi- that the baby or fetus was linked to the state law that the rights of people.q

Rep. Ocasio-Cortez says New York City mayor should resign

By ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE should resign,” she said. Both on his staff under investiga-
Associated Press Adams and Ocasio-Cortez tion —been charged with a
U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio- are Democrats. crime.
Cortez on Wednesday called Adams reacted with scorn. A handful of Adams’ long-
on New York City Mayor Eric “For anyone who self- time political critics have
Adams to resign, the first na- righteously claims people called on him to leave of-
tionally prominent Democrat charged with serious crimes fice, but top Democrats in
to do so amid escalating should not be in jail to now the state have largely been
federal criminal investiga- say that the second Black silent about the criminal in-
tions into the mayor’s ad- mayor of New York should re- vestigations, or generally
ministration and a string of sign because of rumors and supportive of the mayor.
unexpected departures of innuendo — without even a Speaking to reporters
top city officials. single charge being filed — Wednesday morning, the top
“I do not see how Mayor Ad- is the height of hypocrisy,” Democrat in the House, U.S.
ams can continue govern- Adams said in a statement. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, of New
ing New York City,” Ocasio- “I am leading this city to York, said he believed Ad-
Cortez wrote on the social protect it from exactly that ams was “working as hard as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., speaks during the
platform X. kind of phony politics. The he can to be the best mayor Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Aug. 19, 2024.
“The flood of resignations people of this city elected possible.” Associated Press
and vacancies are threat- me to fight for them, and I “We need Eric Adams to be at a particularly vulnerable members of the Adams ad-
ening gov function. Nonstop will stay and fight no matter successful as mayor because time for the Democratic ministration as part of what
investigations will make it im- what,” he continued. he is the mayor at this mo- mayor. appears to be multiple, sep-
possible to recruit and retain The Democratic mayor has ment in time,” Jeffries said. Early this month, federal arate investigations. Adams
a qualified administration. not been accused of wrong- Nevertheless, the statement agents seized electronic himself had his phones seized
For the good of the city, he doing, nor has he — or those from Ocasio-Cortez comes devices from multiple top by the FBI last year.q