The Center filed an Amicus brief in support of Bei Bei Shuai, who is being prosecuted based on her attempted suicide. She was pregnant at the time, and her baby died shortly after birth. Despite any evidence whatsoever that Ms. Shuai intended to end her pregnancy and not her own life, she is being charged with homicide. The case is being considered by the Indiana Court of Appeals.
The Brief, filed on behalf of Indiana National Organization for Women, Law Students for Reproductive Justice and Sistersong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective, sets forth the longstanding history of discrimination against women on the basis of pregnancy; explains the detrimental effect this prosecution could have on pregnant women’s bodily autonomy and integrity; and describes the potential impact this prosecution could have on pregnant women’s right to receive or refuse medical treatment.