maternity / reproductive rights

Criminalising Miscarriages

Jender8 Comments

More loveliness from the US, this time Utah:

In addition to criminalizing an intentional attempt to induce a miscarriage or abortion, the bill also creates a standard that could make women legally responsible for miscarriages caused by “reckless” behavior.
Using the legal standard of “reckless behavior” all a district attorney needs to show is that a woman behaved in a manner that is thought to cause miscarriage, even if she didn’t intend to lose the pregnancy. Drink too much alcohol and have a miscarriage? Under the new law such actions could be cause for prosecution.

Thanks, N!

8 thoughts on “Criminalising Miscarriages”

  1. And it applies for the whole pregnancy, not just the last trimester. I hope there are some restrictions on “thought to cause a miscarriage.” Thought when? By whom?

  2. Reminds me so much of this incident in the UAE in May last year.
    But that was in the Emirates and this is the US of A.

    UAE, USA, for lysdexics like me it’s sometimes hard to see the difference.

    But is it just me or do I see a sort of convergence here of, let’s call it “Family Values” and other fundie talk?

  3. through the whole pregnancy?! but, erm, isn’t an abortion thought to cause miscarriage? so, wouldn’t it mean that abortion is illegal?

  4. So this might make vacuuming while pregnant illegal! Folk wisdom suggests that vacuuming will bring on labor, ergo, might bring on labor that is too early to be safe (miscarriage), ergo, might harm and/or abort the fetus. Therefore, all pregnant women should NOT do vacuuming lest they break the law (and all women who *might* be pregnant which would be all women of childbearing age who still have a uterus and ovaries). Ban vacuuming by women!! (except by us little old ladies…sigh)

  5. Not to mention ingesting cinnamon. Or French cheese (listeria). Or drinking beer. [Extend list here]
    Also off limits:
    – Changing litterbins (toxoplasmosis)
    – Passing into offices where there are smokers outside
    – well, driving! driving is very risky! (see 2)
    – walking can actually be dangerous too
    [Extend list here]
    and particularly:
    – no going up and down stairs (see previous post)

    The next step is making it a crime to produce children with spina bifida and other neural tube anomalies or whatever other congenital birth “defects” that can possibly or remotely be attributed to the behaviour of the fetal container during pregnancy.

    It’s disgusting.

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