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Going to Prison for Miscarriage
A timeline of pregnancy-based prosecutions
Content warning: this article discusses abortion, miscarriage, drug use during pregnancy, suicide and stillbirth. If you choose to continue reading, I invite you to breathe through your reactions. If you are a person with a uterus who is capable of being pregnant, you are also a person with a uterus who is capable of miscarriage or stillbirth, and thus, of being prosecuted for miscarriage or stillbirth.
While murder and manslaughter charges in most of these cases were eventually dismissed, several women served time in jail or prison on lesser charges. With the latest political developments around bodily autonomy, the precedents that could have been set by these prosecutions are terrifying, and we grow less safe by the day.
Arrested for Miscarriage or Stillbirth: a Timeline
1987 — Angie Carter
While Angie Carter wasn’t arrested, her case was foundational for this timeline because of the precedent it set.
In 1987, 27-year-old cancer patient Angie Carter was six months pregnant. She was also in and out of consciousness and near death. Doctors wanted to know if Angie wanted them to try and save the baby by Cesarean even though the likelihood of the…
