Kentucky lawmaker joins multi-state effort to end pregnancy-related arrests

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A Kentucky lawmaker joined a multi-state effort pushing for an end to pregnancy-related arrests.

Rep. Morgan McGarvey, D-Louisville, joined Democratic lawmakers from states with abortion bans to pen a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.

The lawmakers claim that since overturning Roe v. Wade, prosecutors and law enforcement agencies have increasingly "treated pregnancy loss as a potential crime rather than a deeply personal medical tragedy."

Members of the letter cited prosecutors who filed more than 400 criminal cases related to pregnancy, pregnancy loss or birth. They highlighted recent cases in Nevada and Georgia where women were criminally charged after a stillbirth or miscarriage.

"These cases are not isolated," they wrote. "They show a national pattern where miscarriage is treated as intentional, and individuals are subjected to criminal investigation and prosecution for events that are unavoidable and naturally occurring."

The lawmakers warn of a "growing climate of fear" where "'patients are afraid to seek medical care, physicians are afraid to provide it, and families are caught in the crosshairs of politicized enforcement.''

"No one should be afraid to go to jail during what could be one of the most devastating moments of their life," the members wrote. "No family should face police interrogation while experiencing a health crisis."

The full letter can be read by clicking here.