Apart from their assigned mod courses, 1L students may only enroll in courses offered as 1L electives. A complete list of these courses can be found on the 1L Elective Listings page. 1L students must use the 1L class number listed on the course description when enrolling.
224.61 sec. 001 - Pregnancy Criminalization (Spring 2025)
Instructor: Mridula S Raman (view instructor's teaching evaluations - degree students only)
View all teaching evaluations for this course - degree students only
Units: 1
Grading Designation: Credit Only
Mode of Instruction: In-Person
Meetings:
Th 3:35 PM - 5:25 PM
Location: Law 134
On 2025-01-16
Th 3:35 PM - 5:25 PM
Location: Law 134
On 2025-01-30
Th 3:35 PM - 5:25 PM
Location: Law 134
On 2025-02-13
Th 3:35 PM - 5:25 PM
Location: Law 134
On 2025-02-27
Th 3:35 PM - 5:25 PM
Location: Law 134
On 2025-03-13
Th 3:35 PM - 5:25 PM
Location: Law 134
On 2025-03-20
Th 3:35 PM - 5:25 PM
Location: Law 134
On 2025-04-10
Course End: April 10, 2025
Class Number: 33500
Enrollment info:
Enrolled: 30
Waitlisted: 12
Enroll Limit: 30
As of: 11/23 11:55 PM
Last year, an Ohio prosecutor charged Brittany Watts with the archaic crime of felony abuse of a corpse after she experienced pregnancy loss in her home. A Nebraska mother pled guilty to multiple criminal charges after providing her teenage daughter with medication for an abortion. And Alabama prosecutors in certain districts have prioritized bringing criminal charges against people who use drugs, sometimes including prescription medications, while pregnant. These and other instances of pregnancy criminalization—criminal consequences relating to pregnancy status—are far from new, but they are spreading quickly, and they range from criminal investigations, to arrests for misdemeanor charges, to murder convictions. Ultimately, the implications of pregnancy criminalization will resonate far beyond the criminal realm.
In this interactive one-unit course, we will discuss the historical roots of pregnancy criminalization in the U.S., especially the systematic targeting of poor Black women, and the fetal personhood movement that now undergirds much of the criminalization. We will discuss as well the structural aspects of our criminal system that facilitate criminal charges against pregnant people. We will examine prosecutors’ incentives to bring charges, the types of charges prosecutors bring, and the evidence used to support them. Lastly, we will explore the crippling toll these kinds of charges take on individuals and communities, develop some in-court challenges individuals might raise when facing such charges, and hopefully think through broader potential solutions.
Assignments will include writing short reflections on our readings, crafting legal arguments to defend against some aspects of a criminal charge, and (depending on class size) giving an oral presentation on a relevant topic of interest.
If you have any questions about the course, please do not hesitate to contact the instructor.
Attendance at the first class is mandatory for all currently enrolled and waitlisted students; any currently enrolled or waitlisted students who are not present on the first day of class (without prior permission of the instructor) will be dropped. The instructor will continue to take attendance throughout the add/drop period and anyone who moves off the waitlist into the class must continue to attend or have prior permission of the instructor in order not to be dropped.
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Requirements Satisfaction:
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Exam Notes: (None) Class requires a series of papers, assignments, or presentations throughout the semester
(Subject to change by faculty member only through the first two weeks of instruction)
Course Category: Family Law
This course is listed in the following sub-categories:
Race and Law
Social Justice and Public Interest
If you are the instructor or their FSU, you may add a file like a syllabus or a first assignment to this page.
Readers:
No reader.
Books:
Instructor has not yet confirmed their textbook order, please check back later.