Reproductive rights and justice leaders had warned that after Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Supreme Court decision that demolished Roe, anti-abortion activists would be emboldened to demand such prosecutions. These warnings were well founded. As new research released Tuesday by the advocacy organization Pregnancy Justice reveals, over the two years following the decision, hundreds of people were prosecuted for their pregnancy outcomes. The group identified more than 400 cases in which prosecutors charged a person for crimes related to their pregnancy, pregnancy loss, or birth. Using media reports, public records, and direct information provided to the group, the report offers a snapshot of who has been charged in this new legal environment. The most common charges, by far, were related to child abuse, neglect, and endangerment. In all, among 412 defendants (some of whom faced multiple charges), 399 charges alleged substance use during pregnancy; 29 alleged lack of prenatal care; and nine allegations involved obtaining, attempting, or researching an abortion. More than half of those charged were white. The vast majority of all charged were low-income.
But wait?
All the Christ-lovin’ god-botherers were all saying that Roe being repealed doesn’t really mean anything, women will still just be fine, it was all about love of “the babies”, that talk about Gilead and the Handmaid’s tale was being way too hysterical, etc…even though ending women’s freedoms was something the conservatives had a hard-on since Roe.