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Prosecutorial Discretion for Self-Managed Abortion Helpers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 December 2023

Patty Skuster
Patty Skuster*
Affiliation:
TEMPLE UNIVERSITY, PHILADELPHIA, PA, USA.
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Abstract

Elected prosecutors have pledged not to enforce abortion laws, in response to state-level abortion bans. For their pledges to be meaningful, prosecutors must exercise their discretion in cases of individuals who face legal risk, including people who help others self-manage their abortions. With a harm-reduction approach to improving abortion access, prosecutors should aim to reduce abortion helpers’ involvement with the criminal justice system.

Keywords

Self-managed AbortionAbortion PillsAbortionAbortion LawProsecutorial Discretion
Type
Symposium Articles
Information
Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics , Volume 51 , Issue 3: Seeking Reproductive Justice in the Next 50 Years , Fall 2023 , pp. 565 - 569
Copyright
© 2023 The Author(s)

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