Pregnant & Protesting
/Pregnant & Protesting
This guide is informed by my work as a doula, my experiences as a non-pregnant protester, and my experiences as a peaceful pregnant protester. When I was pregnant, I chose to attend protests that had an acceptable level of risk for me and my experience. The overwhelming majority of protests are peaceful demonstrations. When they grow to a certain size, crowd control measures of some variety are deployed regardless of protester behavior. They may be as passive as police blockades around certain locations or as aggressive as paramilitary force.
Crowd control tactics, acute protest conditions, and arrest may result in pregnancy complications but the racially disparate outcomes and mortality rate for Black pregnant people in America make it clear that silence is also dangerous. Pregnant people have faced not only medical racism, they represent a sharply growing demographic in the prison system with enhanced penalties for their charges due entirely to their gestational status. Pregnant people are charged and sentenced differently for their crimes, especially BIPOC pregnant people. It is not incumbent upon pregnant people to take on the risks of protest! Those who stand up in the face of our collective inaction should not be stigmatized or left behind by their comrades if they choose to participate. It is imperative to remember that it should be safe at all times for people to demonstrate peacefully. This is not a call for pregnant people to join the streets, this is a call for solidarity around those who do.
Reasons Why Pregnant People May Be At A Protest
They are at work in a protest zone
They live in a protest zone
They may not know they are pregnant
Because pregnant people have the same free speech rights as non-pregnant people
Because protesting is a defense of their life and that of their child
Because protesting while pregnant is a parenting decision — it is means to build an environment where a child has the potential to thrive
Solidarity with pregnant protestors
Do not stigmatize them — don’t scold and tell a pregnant protester they shouldn’t be at the protest. Pregnant people are rational and have agency. There is no one more concerned about the outcome of the pregnancy than the pregnant person themselves. They are the primary decision maker. While they may take the counsel of a partner, friend, or family member into consideration a pregnant person does not need permission from anyone.
Be aware of pregnant protesters in your vicinity, look out for them.
Do not pressure pregnant people to take on roles in a protest they are not comfortable with and respect their participation boundaries.
Be patient! A pregnant protester may need to pee (again), move slower, move away from a zone with escalating tension, take rest breaks, or need to leave early.
Make sure that a pregnant protester always has a buddy with them. They may be vulnerable when alone.
Be someone’s safe call at home — make periodic check-ins as agreed upon and follow through to ensure that they are home safe. If they cannot be reached for an extended period of time, contact the NLG and inform them that your comrade is pregnant
Pressure authorities to identify and release all pregnant protestors immediately — city council members/city supervisors, reproductive justice orgs, everyone.
Support the aftercare of an action. A pregnant protester will benefit from additional love and care.
If you are pregnant & protesting
Know your rights but do not assume that they will be upheld by police at the protest or in custody
Have the NLG number written on your body in sharpie and the phone number of an emergency contact even if you think you have that number memorized.
Depending on how far along you are, you may be more readily identifiable in a crowd.
Go with a crew who know that you are pregnant and will support your needs and respect your level of involvement without pressure. You may need numerous bathroom breaks, a slower pace, quieter area of the protest, rest breaks, extra snacks and water, and situational awareness.
Have a safe call who is not at the protest — set up a check in plan with them & let them know you’re home safe at the end of the action
Make sure your safe call knows the contact info for the NLG if you do not check in and cannot be reached.
Familiarize yourself with crowd control measures. Police have been deploying “less lethal” ammunition and weaponry including rubber bullets and Stinger grenades which spray pellets when detonated, tear gas, flash bombs, and blunt force trauma
Identify the location of protest medics. If you are comfortable, inform them you are pregnant and in the crowd
IT IS OK TO LEAVE EARLY or when things get tense or make you uncomfortable. Protests often have cycles of quiet, building tension, and erupting repression as well as different clusters of people with their own micro-culture of chants and actions. Changing your location within the protest can significantly impact your experience
Take breaks! Move to a safe location away from the protest every so often. Rest, drink water, have a snack, relieve yourself and talk to your baby.
Follow the advice of basic protesting: wear supportive shoes with arch support, dress in layers, style your hair in such a way it cannot be used to grab you, bring water, snacks,
Extra gear you may want: masks, hand sanitizer, goggles, respirator for tear gas, helmet, compression socks and garments, shield or thicker garment to protect your abdomen.
Always identify your exits, even in the middle of a street. Police may deploy strategies that utilize local geography to trap protesters for mass arrests.
Your baby is your co-protester and has wisdom to share. Talk to them. Tell them about your motivation and the outcomes you want from your participation. Is your baby feeling scared and asking to go home or is your baby feeling energized? Does your baby like the people you are surrounded by or do they want to move along?
Remember that you are immune compromised and COVID is still a risk. Wash hands as often as you can, stay masked at all times, immediately remove and wash the garments you wore when you get home. Bathe thoroughly. Support your immune system in the aftermath. Behave as though you have been exposed.
“Tear Gas” can mean any number of chemicals. There is some evidence to suggest that sone may pose a miscarriage risk. Keeping distance between you and a police line can reduce your risk of exposure. If exposed, walk — do not run — from where it is being deployed because running may cause you to gasp and inhale more. It will cling to hair, makeup, skin, and clothes. Avoid wearing eye makeup and contact lenses. Keep your face covered with a bandana. Saline or fresh water is the best flush for your eyes, save the baking soda and water for your skin. Either throw out the clothes you were wearing in tear gas or wash them separately from other laundry. Leave shoes outside or in a well ventilated space for 48 hours.
Common Problems For Pregnant Protesters
Bathrooms — you may not have any available, especially at the frequency you need but going somewhere isolated and private near a protest scene may make you vulnerable. Good support crew will help you find a bathroom or place to pee and cover you.
Exhaustion
Swollen feet
Nutrition
Hydration
Difficulty running or escaping if things escalate
If you are arrested
The overwhelming majority of protesters who attend an action will leave freely. Of those detained by police, most will be cited and released at the scene of the protest. Those being charged will likely be kept in crowded and very uncomfortable conditions at the scene of the protest, while being transported to jail, and in holding at the jail itself before arraignment. It may or may not be helpful to tell or remind a law enforcement officer that you are pregnant if it is not visibly apparent. Some individual officers may process you more quickly, respond to requests to loosen restraints, and be prompt with calls for medical assistance. Some officers may find ways to punish you for being pregnant by being verbally abusive, tightening restraints, ignoring calls for assistance even if urgent, or engaging in outright brutality. If you are white and able to afford bail it is very important to do so to ensure that BIPOC and low income people can be prioritized by not just the funds themselves but the time and labor of bail fund organizers.
If you see jail support outside of the location that police are taking you, give them your name, and tell them you are pregnant and need support. Jail support can help facilitate your release, or help ensure you receive necessary care after your release.