I support reproductive freedom
Dear John,
Pregnancy, birth, and parenting are some of the most dangerous life decisions Black people must make in this country.
In 2019, Marshae Jones, a 27-year-old Black mother was shot five times in the stomach killing her unborn fetus. She was the one who was violently attacked yet an Alabama grand jury indicted her with manslaughter charges -- under the flawed logic that because she engaged in the argument, she is responsible.
Marshae is not alone. At least 1,200 people, but likely many more, around the United States have been prosecuted and punished for actions or inactions that would not be considered crimes if they were not pregnant. And 38 states have feticide laws that can be used to charge a mother for pregnancy outcomes, for reasons ranging from the result of addiction or an accidental fall down the stairs. And while these arrests and prosecutions are happening across the nation, low-income Black women in the South are most likely targeted and charged.
John, that's where you come in. We're fighting back, but first we need your help. Now is your chance to take your support to the next level. Now is your chance to take your support to the next level. Because with your help, we can continue to put pressure on prosecutors and elected officials who have the power to ensure no one is thrown in jail based on a pregnancy outcome.
When our people get access to the reproductive healthcare we need, we thrive. That starts with demanding the solutions that will aid in the healing and prioritization of our reproductive autonomy. This includes a world in which our people are treated with dignity, and free to make choices about our own bodies. We deserve meaningful options regarding where, how, and with whom we will give birth, in a person-centered, anti-racist model of care. We deserve the support of midwives, doulas, and perinatal services that are fully integrated into the maternal care system. Law enforcement including prosecutors has no place in pregnancy decisions. With your help, we can continue our fight calling on them to say NO to criminalizing pregnancy.
Before you go John, can we count on you to be a key member in our fight for reproductive justice? Choose an amount that feels powerful to you as an investment in this powerful work:
Until justice is real,
--Erika, Rashad, Arisha, Scott, Malachi, Ernie, Megan, Trevor, Palika, Madison, Megan, Ariel, Ana, McKayla, and the rest of the Color Of Change team
ColorOfChange is building a movement to elevate the voices of Black folks and our allies, and win real social and political change.
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