Campaign to Protect the Dignity, Autonomy, and Integrity of Families is Reborn

Today, in honor of Black Maternal Health Week, a coalition of New Yorkers directly impacted by nonconsensual drug testing during pregnancy and their allies announce a renewed campaign to help advance racial and reproductive justice in New York. The campaign aims to disrupt the practice of“test-and-report" and move New York toward a system of care that centers on the actual medical needs of perinatal people* and newborns and is rooted in dignity, autonomy, and bodily integrity for all families.

“For years, New York has surveilled and criminalized people who use substances, ripping newborns from their families under the guise of fetal protection and the safety of children, even though medical science and public health guidance make clear that punishment and stigma undermine the health and well-being of perinatal people and newborns,” said Jasmine Wali, MSW on behalf of the Informed Consent Coalition. “Today, we declare: a better world is possible, one rooted in the dignity, autonomy, and bodily integrity of all families. And it starts with passing the Informed Consent Act.”