irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $786KPUBLIC EDUCATION:WE DEVELOP MESSAGING AND ENGAGE IN MEDIA STRATEGY TO FURTHER OUR MISSION, RAISE PUBLIC AWARENESS, AND SHIFT THE NARRATIVE. WE BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH JOURNALISTS, PROVIDING RESOURCES AND MESSAGING, AND USE THE MEDIA AND SOCIAL MEDIA TO SHIFT SOCIETAL VIEWS AND STRENGTHEN ADVOCATES' ABILITY TO DEFEND THE PERSONHOOD AND BODILY AUTONOMY OF PREGNANT PEOPLE.
- #2 $494KRESEARCH:WE TRACK AND DOCUMENT CASES OF PREGNANCY-RELATED CRIMINALIZATION IN THE COUNTRY AND ANALYZE DATA TO IDENTIFY TRENDS IN PROSECUTION, WHO IS TARGETED, ON WHAT BASIS, AND WHERE. THE DATA IS PUBLISHED IN ANNUAL UPDATES AND IN PERIODIC REPORTS. WE ALSO PUBLISH RESEARCH AND LEGAL ANALYSIS ON A VARIETY OF TOPICS CONNECTED TO OUR MISSION.
named programs · 4 · from sources
What they call their work
Legal Defense and Advocacy
Provides direct legal support in cases of pregnancy-related criminalization, including amicus briefs, litigation strategy, and public advocacy to secure dismissals and overturn unjust convictions.
Organizing and Movement Building
Supports grassroots and state-based reproductive justice groups, trains affected individuals as advocates, and convenes national coalitions across disciplines to strengthen advocacy efforts.
Public Education and Narrative Change
Develops messaging, media strategy, and public campaigns to shift societal narratives around pregnancy, abortion, and substance use, challenging stereotypes and promoting bodily autonomy.
Research on Pregnancy Criminalization
Tracks and analyzes cases of pregnancy-related arrests and prosecutions nationwide; publishes comprehensive reports documenting trends, legal abuses, and demographic disparities, particularly post-Dobbs.
activities · 4 groups
What they do
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Reproductive Health Advocacy & Education 2 activities
- Builds capacity and leadership among affected communities and reproductive justice advocatesTrains individuals directly impacted by pregnancy criminalization to become advocates, supports grassroots organizing, mobilizes state coalitions, and sponsors conferences to strengthen reproductive justice movements. Also engages medical experts and academics in opposition to punitive policies.
- Conducts public education campaigns to shift narratives around pregnancy, abortion, and bodily autonomyRuns media and public education initiatives to counter myths and dehumanizing stereotypes about pregnant people, particularly regarding substance use and abortion. Engages journalists, uses social media, and educates policymakers and advocates to promote humane, evidence-based policies.
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Civil Rights Advocacy & Litigation 1 activity
- Advocates against the criminalization of pregnancy through litigation, public campaigns, and policy reformChallenges punitive policies and practices through federal and state-level advocacy, including filing civil rights lawsuits, organizing amicus efforts, delivering petitions with tens of thousands of signatures, and contributing legal analysis that has led to overturned convictions. Focuses on ending forced medical interventions, opposing fetal personhood laws, and combating gender-based discrimination in legal systems.
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Pro Bono Legal Representation and Support 1 activity
- Provides legal representation to pregnant, postpartum, and parenting individuals facing criminal charges or state interventionOffers free legal representation and direct legal support to individuals who are incarcerated or at risk of incarceration during pregnancy, after childbirth, or following a pregnancy loss, with a focus on marginalized communities including poor people, people of color, and people who use drugs. Successfully litigated landmark cases such as Ferguson v. City of Charleston and supported the dismissal of criminal charges in cases like Chelsea Becker’s and Bei Bei Shuai’s.
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Uncategorized 1 activity
- Conducts research on the criminalization of pregnancy in the United StatesTracks, documents, and analyzes cases of pregnancy-related prosecutions across the U.S., publishing comprehensive reports and data analyses on trends, demographics, legal frameworks, and policy implications. Key outputs include a study of 1,396 cases between 2006 and 2022, state-level legal mapping (e.g., identifying 17 states with fetal rights), and annual/post-Dobbs research updates.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$5.35M
Contributions & grants$5.00M93%
Program service revenue$15K0%
Investment income$335K6%
Other revenue$-1K
expenses
Total expenses$4.92M
Program expenses69%
Admin / overhead20%
Fundraising10%
Salaries & benefits$2.89M
Grants paid out$113K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$9.81M
Cash$931K
Investments$4.88M
Liabilities$3.01M
Net assets$6.80M
Liquid reserves14.2 mo
4 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +90.3%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 7
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOURDES A RIVERA | PRESIDENT | 40 | $322K |
| DANA G SUSSMAN | SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT | 40 | $279K |
| EMMA ROTH | SENIOR STAFF ATTORNEY | 40 | $191K |
| ZENOVIA EARLE | MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR | 40 | $179K |
| KAREN THOMPSON | LEGAL DIRECTOR | 40 | $173K |
| JOHN TAMBINI | EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT | 40 | $126K |
| ALEA ROUSE | OPERATIONS MANAGER | 40 | $125K |
board members · 11
- CARMELYN P MALALIS — VICE CHAIR
- HUMAIRA FAIZ — DIRECTOR
- HYTHAM M IMSEIS MD — TREASURER
- JULIE EHRLICH — DIRECTOR
- KAREN SAUVIGNE — SECRETARY
- KATHERINE ROSENFELD — DIRECTOR
- RIA TABACCO MAR — DIRECTOR
- SARAH BURNS JD — CHAIR
- TILOMA JAYASINGHE — DIRECTOR
- VIVIAN SIU — DIRECTOR
- WARNER FITE — DIRECTOR
relationships · 25
Who they work with
- ACADEMICS Partner — Engages academics in research and advocacy against counterproductive and punitive reproductive health policies.
- Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center Partner — Co-hosted the Personhood and Pregnancy convening and symposium.
- Center for Reproductive Rights Partner — Collaborated with Pregnancy Justice in delivering a petition and calling for accountability from Florida hospitals regarding forced cesarean sections.
- Elephant Circle Partner — Joined Pregnancy Justice in delivering a petition to Florida hospitals to stop forced cesarean sections.
- Family Policing System Partner — System involved in 217 cases where information contributed to criminal prosecution of pregnant individuals.
- GRASSROOTS PARTNERS Partner — Supports and collaborates with grassroots organizations focused on women's health and reproductive justice.
- Great Believer Partner — Website design and development partner for Pregnancy Justice
- Health Care System Partner — Medical settings were the source of information supporting criminal prosecution in 264 cases.
- If/When/How Partner — Partnered with Pregnancy Justice to advocate against forced C-sections and for reproductive justice.
- Lourdes A. Rivera Partner — President of Pregnancy Justice and spokesperson issuing organizational statements
- MEDICAL AND HEALTH EXPERTS Partner — Collaborates with medical professionals and health organizations to oppose punitive policies affecting pregnant people.
- NYU Law’s Reproductive Justice Clinic Partner — Co-hosted the Personhood and Pregnancy convening and symposium.
- National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health Partner — Co-sponsored the National Summit to Ensure the Health and Humanity of Pregnant and Birthing Women.
- Planned Parenthood Partner — Co-sponsored the National Summit to Ensure the Health and Humanity of Pregnant and Birthing Women.
- Pregnancy Justice Network — Operates under the name Pregnancy Justice US and produces resources analyzing state-level legal threats to pregnant people.
- STATE-BASED COALITIONS Partner — Mobilizes and supports state-level coalitions working on reproductive rights and justice issues.
- SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective Partner — Collaborates with and cites the reproductive justice framework defined by SisterSong.
- Southern Poverty Law Center Partner — Co-counsel with Pregnancy Justice in filing a federal civil rights lawsuit on behalf of a jailed pregnant woman and her newborn.
- Southern Poverty Law Center Partner — Collaborated with Pregnancy Justice on advocacy efforts on behalf of pregnant people in Alabama prisons.
- Sullivan & Cromwell LLP Partner — Co-counsel with Pregnancy Justice in filing a federal civil rights lawsuit on behalf of a jailed pregnant woman and her newborn.
- UltraViolet Partner — Collaborated with Pregnancy Justice to deliver a petition demanding an end to forced C-sections in Florida hospitals.
- United Nations Government — Engages with the United Nations to advocate for pregnancy rights at the international level.
- advocates Partner — Collaborates with advocates to advance pregnant people's rights.
- organizations Partner — Works with organizations to advance pregnant people's rights through policy and legal advocacy.
- policymakers Partner — Engages with policymakers at state and federal levels to promote legal and policy change for pregnant people.
strategies · 4
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Anti-Punitive Reproductive Justice Framework 32 orgsmethodology: anti-punitive_reproductive_justiceBy excluding the criminal legal and child welfare systems from involvement in pregnancy, we protect bodily autonomy and human dignity because punitive systems inherently undermine trust, health, and equity—especially for marginalized communities.shared approach: Integrated Systems Change →
- Data-Informed Public and Policy Advocacy 32 orgsmethodology: data-driven_advocacyBy generating and communicating data on pregnancy-related criminalization, we shift public narratives and policy because evidence-based research disrupts dehumanizing stereotypes and strengthens advocacy with credible, actionable insights.shared approach: Integrated Systems Change →
- Fetal Personhood Resistance through Legal and Linguistic Strategy 32 orgsmethodology: fetal-personhood-resistanceBy challenging fetal personhood doctrines through both legal analysis and person-centered language, we protect pregnant people’s rights because recognizing fetal legal status erodes maternal autonomy and enables criminalization of pregnancy outcomes.shared approach: Integrated Systems Change →
- Legal Defense as Systemic Challenge 32 orgsmethodology: legal-defense-advocacyBy providing direct legal defense and affirmative litigation for pregnant individuals facing criminalization, we produce broader legal precedent and systemic change because individual cases expose and destabilize unjust applications of criminal law to pregnancy outcomes.shared approach: Integrated Systems Change →