BxD and attorneys from Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP collaborate on amicus brief
On behalf of 15 organizations supporting the rights, interests, and health of parents and pregnant women, The Bronx Defenders Family Defense Practice, along with attorneys at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, sought leave to file an amicus brief in the New York Appellate Division, First Department, last week.
Our brief argues that the New York Family Court Act’s protection of a “child” in cases alleging abuse and neglect does not encompass a fetus, and that the application of the child welfare statute to fetuses threatens significant harm to the health, well-being, and constitutional rights of pregnant women.