Miscarriage lands woman in jail

Criminalizing a woman for suffering a miscarriage seems unfathomable and even barbaric. But that is exactly what happened earlier this month in a Lawton, Okla., courtroom.

When Brittney Poolaw, an Oklahoma woman, miscarried at her home in January 2020, she was taken to a hospital where she told staff that she had used methamphetamine and marijuana during her pregnancy. Two months later, she was charged with first-degree manslaughter. Her pregnancy was 17 weeks along.

That was prelude to a one-day trial this month in which the 21-year-old woman was found guilty of first-degree manslaughter and sentenced to four years in prison. She had already been in jail since she was charged because she couldn’t afford to post the $20,000 bond to get out on bail.

According to a local newspaper report, the judge reminded jurors that, under state law, Poolaw could be found guilty of manslaughter if it was proved beyond a reasonable doubt that her drug use caused the death of her fetus, which could be considered a human being.

Although methamphetamine was found in the fetus, the medical examiner’s report lists the cause of death as intrauterine fetal demise. It also lists half a dozen other things as contributing to the death — but not causing it — including Poolaw’s drug use, an infection and a congenital abnormality.

No matter what role, if any, Poolaw’s drug use played in the demise of her fetus, her miscarriage is a tragic event, not a criminal attack perpetrated by her. No woman, or health professional, can guarantee that a pregnancy won’t end in a miscarriage, or a stillborn baby, or a baby born with health problems.

Had Poolaw wanted to end her pregnancy, she could have obtained an abortion. In Oklahoma the procedure is allowed up to 22 weeks of gestation. (According to landmark Supreme Court rulings, a woman has a constitutionally derived right to a safe and legal abortion up to the point of viability of the fetus outside the womb, which is about 24 weeks.) Officials of National Advocates for Pregnant Women, which offers legal defense for pregnant women in some cases, contend that Oklahoma murder and manslaughter laws do not apply to miscarriages.

But holding women criminally responsible has become a disturbing trend. National Advocates for Pregnant Women commissioned a study showing that from 1973 to 2005 there were 413 cases of women arrested, detained in hospitals or treatment programs, or forced to have medical interventions for a variety of alleged offenses ranging from drug use during pregnancy to not strictly following medical advice. Further research by the organization showed that between 2006 and 2020 the number of arrests or detentions for alleged pregnancy-related offenses shot up to 1,250 across the country.

In a statement on its website, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists opposes policies “that criminalize individuals for conduct alleged to be harmful to their pregnancy.” The organization further calls criminalization and incarceration for substance-use disorder during pregnancy “ineffective as behavioral deterrents and harmful to the health of the pregnant person and their infant.”

It’s a violation of a woman’s civil rights to police her during her pregnancy. And where would that line for reckless behavior get drawn, anyway? What if she went rock climbing and the fetus died soon after?

Pregnant women are under attack these days. In Texas, most pregnant women cannot get an abortion — despite a constitutional right to obtain one. If Roe vs. Wade is overturned, pregnant women in perhaps half the states in the country will become criminals if they have an abortion. Police and courts shouldn’t also be manipulating their laws to turn women into outlaws for their behavior during their pregnancies.

Kara Frost

26 years in education

The aftermath of the COVID19 pandemic has resulted in serious student learning and social development losses as well as mental health issues. Schools should make solutions to these problems their highest priority. That is why I support candidate Kara Frost for BVSD School Board. Students are falling behind and Kara will work hard to find solutions.

Kara has spent 26 years in education with Title One, classroom and curriculum development experience. She is employed by CU as an instructor of Education. She has a Bachelor’s in Education and ESL, a Master’s in both Counseling and Secondary Education and is a diversity, equity and inclusion trainer. As a mental health activist she is member of National Advocates for the Mentally Ill.

The leading cause of death for children is suicide. Children’s mental health is among Kara’s top priorities, advocating for programs and coping mechanisms. She is also energized to partner with local businesses, encouraging investment in BVSD and helping to bring students to higher levels of achievement. She will work diligently to abolish educational inequality helping students reach their full potential.

Kara believes politics should remain outside the classroom and will work to represent the BVSD parents, students, teachers and community. She says educators, not politicians should reform education and in her effort to remain nonpartisan, hearing all sides and inputs, she accepts no campaign donations.

Because of her education, experience, integrity and passion, I will vote for Kara Frost for BVSD School Board. in the community into BEDROOMS. But, WOW, they were expensive bedrooms! So the unrelated working singles and families who were renting eventually all fled along with all the green spaces. Great, said the developers, now we can turn even more real estate and run it into the ground while raising prices on the “bedrooms.” The Cash Cow was born. There were no longer any bedrooms for working singles or families. Cars, noise and litter dominated as each one person moved in with too many cars and zero interest in picking up litter. Folks no longer recognized one another because all the tenants were temporary CU students. The old sewer systems were now overburdened and in ruin. Oh well, said the land-lords. At least we have BEDROOMS. People insisted: NOBODY CAN AFFORD your bedrooms and they look broken down and unsafe. No matter, shouted the landlords. Nobody said they’d be affordable and safe, now did they? The lesson of this story: VOTE NO ON 300.

Steve Rosenblum

For a safer Boulder

Steven Rosenblum filed a lawsuit against the Boulder Progressives including hardcore activists Eric Budd and Claudia Hanson Thiem. Why don’t Thiem/budd spend more time sharing their notions of what is best for Boulder and less time (allegedly) doxing? Because their ideas are bad and voters would learn this if they were honest.

The Boulder Progressives oppose law and order, support camping in public spaces, defunding the police, and housing as a right. Speer, Williams, Folkerts and Benjamin support all of this as well. They have no regard for the worries of constituents just a determination to impose an aggressive agenda. No leadership but fiats and dictates.

To parents whose kids’ bikes were stolen, see drug dealers slinging dope behind Boulder High, are afraid for their safety on a city bus and who no longer take their kids public library thank a Boulder Progressive. And vote for Steven Rosenblum. 300 by opponents that we heard for co-ops). Since then I have read the comprehensive housing studies going back to 1999, which all recommend changing the occupancy limits. And over the last two years (and some of us quite a few more) we have been reading policy books, interviewed experts, read the Carnegie Library archives to learn about our occupancy limits’ history but most importantly we have talked with many thousands (~10,000 plus) of our community members about how to best meet economic, environmental, and social justice needs through housing justice. The Bedrooms campaign is a response to all these efforts to learn from and help our community. This ballot measure is an act of collective wisdom and a move in the right direction after 50 years of suppressing housing.

I want all renters to be on leases and visible and secure in their rights. I want landlords and property managers to have accountability on keeping their housing safe. I want to use the existing housing stock better and reduce the environmental impacts of commuters. I want folks to be allowed the mutual aid that housemates provide. I want folks who already live here and in violation of occupancy limits to feel safe and welcomed and not be afraid to register to vote or build relationships with their neighbors. I want you to join me in voting yes for Ballot Measure 300, Bedrooms Are For People.