She was also flagged by doctors, investigated by local law enforcement and charged with murder by District Attorney Keith Fagundes.
The cases sparked national backlash from civil rights groups, which successfully fought to overturn the convictions.
“Those two cases, they’re a symptom of the disease,” said Sarah Hacker, a Hanford lawyer challenging Fagundes.
“And the disease that has infected our criminal justice system here in Kings County is preferential treatment.”.
The road into Hanford doubles as a condensed tour of the sprawling and diverse San Joaquin Valley.
Becker’s attorney, Samantha Lee of National Advocates for Pregnant Women, said the isolated California cases are part of a national trend toward criminalizing pregnant people.
“When that door is opened, then anything someone does or doesn’t do during their pregnancy could be charged similarly,” Lee said. »