FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 27, 2019

Contact: Nicole Moore – nicole@aafront.org

Abortion Access Front (formerly Lady Parts Justice League) and Chief Creative Officer, Lizz Winstead, Respond to Indictment of Marshae Jones

Yesterday, June 26, Marshae Jones was indicted for homicide when someone shot her in the stomach while she was pregnant, ending her pregnancy. All charges against the person who shot Ms. Jones were dismissed and that person went home while Ms. Jones went to jail. Abortion Access Front (AAF) is infuriated by the indictment of Ms. Jones and thoroughly denounces the criminalization of pregnant people.

The arresting officer is quoted as saying, “The investigation showed the only true victim was the unborn baby” and that it was her fault because she started the fight. With this statement the officer stripped Ms. Jones, a 27- year old woman of color and the victim of a crime, of her autonomy, trauma, and humanity. With this indictment the state has declared that the fetus is more valuable than the life of the pregnant woman. This is what Personhood Laws look like in America where Alabama is one of 38 states where a “person” includes unborn children in any stage of development. Alabama leads the nation in mothers charged with crimes related to pregnancy and this fall AAF will travel to Alabama to rally for abortion access, fight against their horrific bans, and do the work to destigmatize abortion. More than ever we must now speak out for women like Marshae Jones who are literally being victim blamed.

Lizz Winstead, Founder of Abortion Access Front and Co-Creator of The Daily Show states:

“The passage of fetal personhood laws have created a nation that not only gives more rights to a pregnancy than a pregnant person, these laws erase their existence as a human being. The case of Marshae Jones highlights that personhood laws exclude the personhood of women, and that means our country has legalized white supremacy. Not only did she not receive justice, she was reduced to a mere breeding chamber, and worse, redefined as the perpetrator of her own assault.”