Did you know that low-income women are more likely to face pregnancy-related prosecutions?

Across the country, pregnant women are being charged with crimes ranging from child neglect or abuse to endangerment simply because they are pregnant. The vast majority of these defendants tracked by Pregnancy Justice are low-income. Among their alleged “crimes”: failing to get prenatal care.

Despite a system where access to OB/GYN care is often financially and physically out of reach, prosecutors have used pregnant people’s failure to obtain prenatal care as evidence of a crime.

• Lower-income pregnant women often face significant barriers to accessing healthcare because they cannot afford insurance or out-of-pocket costs for medical treatments.
• Over one-third of the counties in America are classified as maternity care deserts—zones with zero obstetric facilities and zero obstetric healthcare practitioners.

Our 2025 grantee partner Pregnancy Justice is fighting back against such prosecutorial abuse and defending the rights of every pregnant woman.