South Carolina: Where Pregnancy Is a Crime.(privacy rights of pregnant women challenged by court)

For the past 20 years, as a concerted campaign to restrict abortion rights has captured public attention, a less widely recognized effort has been underway to restrict the autonomy and privacy of pregnant women. In the name of fetal rights, more than 200 pregnant women have been arrested nationwide for engaging in activities that are perceived to be dangerous to their fetuses. For a time, aggressive litigation stemmed the tide of these cases as advocates persuaded trial and appellate courts throughout the country to dismiss the prosecutions.

In October of 1997, however,…