Dear friend,

As a national organization, we are continually learning from our partners across the country like North Carolina Survivor's Union (NSCU), who center and empower those most marginalized to advocate for reproductive freedom.

NCSU, an organization led by people directly impacted by the war on drugs, works to ensure the safety, empowerment, and just treatment of people who use drugs across North Carolina. At the state level, NCSU is a powerful advocate for policies that support healthy families and decriminalize pregnant people.

We know that reproductive freedom can only be achieved through the empowerment and just treatment of all pregnant people and parents -- including those who use drugs.

Through our partnership, we support an initiative that centers pregnant and parenting people who use drugs or are coping with substance use disorder by developing strategies that reduce the criminalization of pregnant people and parents and harm caused by institutions. In partnership with a broad coalition, NCSU mobilized supporters to oppose HB918, a bill that would have criminalized pregnant people for using drugs, discouraging them from seeking prenatal care and causing families to lose custody of their children. Their advocacy was ultimately successful: the bill was vetoed by Governor Cooper.

In the fall, they will launch a new project, Narcofeminism Storytelling on Parenting, to disrupt harmful stereotypes and uplift positive narratives about pregnancy and parenting related to substance use. Make sure to stay connected to NCSU's powerful work to learn more about this and future projects. [link removed]

We are so grateful to our incredible partners for all they do, and hope you will join us in connecting with and uplifting their powerful work.

In solidarity,
Andrea Miller
President, NIRH
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