BayLegal Champions for Healthcare Rights for Pregnant Women

For many women, pregnancy is a joyful time. For low-income mothers-to-be, however, it can be a daunting experience. Concerned with how to pay for strollers, diapers, or even formula, low-income pregnant women rely on state-sponsored prenatal care to ensure the health of their babies. But, for women who are low-income and new to the State of California, things are even tougher.

Low-income pregnant women who relocate to California – for any reason, including to escape an abusive situation in another state, to be closer to family support, or to start a new life with their new baby – are denied the prenatal care offered to everyone else. Current California Department of Health Care Services (DCHS) policy requires mothers-to-be to have state residency for a minimum of six months before qualifying for health services, hurting both mothers and children.

Bay Area Legal Aid is working to protect infant and mother health. BayLegal, along with the American Civil Liberties Union, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights, Multiforum Advocacy Solutions, and Maternal and Child Health Access, has filed suit against DCHS, seeking to strike down the six-month residency requirement and secure equal access to health care for all pregnant women in California.