By If/When/How
If/When/How’s Repro Legal Helpline was featured on John Oliver during a segment about pregnancy criminalization.
By highlighting our cases, as well as our partners at Pregnancy Justice, and the stigma that fueled punishment and criminalization of pregnant people, Oliver underscored a horrifying truth: “The obvious consequence of these laws is that they treat the individual carrying the fetus as something less than a full human. And the very moment you’re pregnant, you become merely a means to an end.”
Punishing and criminalizing people for their pregnancy outcome isn’t new. But as Oliver said, “after Dobbs, the guardrails fully came off.”
Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, our Repro Legal Helpline has supported over 12,000 callers. And our Repro Legal Defense Fund has spent millions of dollars on bail and legal fees for people criminalized for their pregnancy outcome.
We loved working closely with the “Last Week Tonight” team to support this episode. We know that creating a future where no one needs our services means shifting our culture and mobilizing our communities against laws that dehumanize pregnant people.
Ways to Take Action
→ Help us spread the word! Watch the show, and share the segment with your community.
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