Pregnancy and motherhood are often assumed to be happy times in a woman’s life. However, for some women they can be times of desperation and crisis. A big question that remains to be answered: What involvement should the criminal justice system have in the lives of these women, and what should the function of the criminal law be?
Research conducted by Dr Emma Milne highlights the impact of criminal justice intervention on the lives of women who experience crisis pregnancies. Her work draws attention to the ramifications of criminalisation on women’s liberties and their rights to bodily autonomy. The regulation of women’s conduct while pregnant has key implications in relation to:
This infographic provides a short summary of the key issues Women, Pregnancy and the Criminal Law is aiming to address.
Take a look at briefings and information about Dr Milne’s work, which outline the impact for policy, the criminal law, and criminal justice responses to vulnerable women.
Read Dr Milne's research briefings:
Dr Milne outlines the need for telemedical abortion to continue to be available for women to prevent an increase inwomen experiencing "crisis" pregnancies.
In this briefing Dr Milne explores the need for a change in our understanding and approach to suspected newborn child killing by mothers.
This project is funded by:
Dr Emma Milne is a feminist socio-legal scholar. Her research is interdisciplinary, focusing on criminal law and criminal justice responses to the killing of infants and foetal harm by women. The wider context of Dr Milne’s work is social controls and regulations of all women, notably in relation to pregnancy, sex, and motherhood. Dr Milne is a member of the Gender and Law at Durham (GLAD) and Centre for Criminal Law and Criminal Justice (CCLCJ) research groups.
/prod01/prodbucket01/media/durham-university/research-/research-centres/criminal-law-amp-justice-centre-for/69656.jpg)