Black, Pregnant and In Jail

Black, Pregnant and In Jail

Yet Another Fight For Black Women to Gain Control of Their Reproductive Rights

Special Guests: Imperative Board Chair Dorothy Roberts, J.D., author of Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty, and Faiza Mathon-Mathieu, J.D., attorney with The Rebecca Project

First Wednesdays: Conversations with Byllye and Ngina on BlogTalkRadio, Wednesday, April 6, 2011, at 2 p.m. EST

“The thing about reproduction is that, more than anything, it tells you how a society values people.” - Dorothy Roberts, J.D.

Surprisingly, few newspapers across the country scrambled to report the story of Amy Lynn Gillespie in November 2010. It had all of the makings of a great news story – timing, significance and human interest.

Amy, 27, was pregnant and incarcerated for violating the terms of her work release – getting pregnant. Unfortunately, her journey through the criminal justice system ended in her untimely death from pneumonia after being denied diagnostic tests.

Shocked? Angry? Although we may rarely hear the stories of Amy Lynn and other pregnant, incarcerated women, they are very familiar to Dorothy Roberts and Faiza Mathon-Mathieu.

Join Byllye and Ngina on First Wednesdays on Wednesday, April 6, 2011, at 2 p.m. EST, for a discussion with Dorothy and Faiza on a less talked about side of a woman’s battle for reproductive justice in the criminal justice system.

Now is our time to talk about it. Call Dorothy and Faiza with your questions at 646-381-4662 beginning at 2 p.m. EST on April 6, 2011, or email your questions prior to the show at asktheexpert@BlackWomensHealth.ORG.