REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE: IS BEING PREGNANT A CRIME?

OUR PANELISTS 

MODERATOR, DR. VIVIAN LEWIS '73

Professor Emerita of OB/GYN,

University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry

Dr. Lewis is Professor emerita of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Rochester. Women’s Health has been an important focus for her clinical and research efforts – primarily centered on infertility, reproductive endocrinology and menopause. Her perspective is informed by her personal experience as an African-American woman, deeply committed to healthcare as a social justice issue. Her perspective as a professional comes from experience with delivery of healthcare, overseeing clinical trials in women’s health and leadership roles in several national organizations, including the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Medical Association and the American College of Obstetrician-Gynecologists. As Chair of the Reproductive Health Drugs Committee for the Food and Drug Administration, she oversaw several controversial meetings on such topics as sexuality, contraception and medical abortion. Her work in academic medicine as an educator, mentor and senior leader includes appointments at University of Rochester, University of Illinois and University of California-San Francisco. Dr. Lewis currently is a board member of HR Class ACT 73 and she is President of Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons Alumni Association. She has been a member of Planned Parenthood Association for over 40 years.

DR. JAMILA PERRITT

President and CEO, Physicians for Reproductive Health

Instagram: @reprorightsdoc

Website: prh.org

Dr. Jamila Perritt (she/her) is a fellowship trained, board-certified Obstetrician and Gynecologist and President and CEO of Physicians for Reproductive Health (PRH), a physician led organization that mobilizes the medical community, educating and organizing providers, using medicine and science to advance access to reproductive health care for all people. She has a comprehensive background in family planning and has worked more than 20 years in the reproductive health, rights and justice spaces. She provides on the ground, community-based care focusing primarily on the intersection of sexual health, reproductive rights, and social justice. In addition to her work as a clinical provider in the Washington, DC area, she has led PRH since 2020. Dr. Perritt’s work as a passionate advocate for reproductive health, rights and justice has allowed her to work closely with many organizations in support of access to comprehensive reproductive health care, including Advocates for Youth and Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Dr. Perritt serves via Mayoral appointment as co-chair of Washington DC’s Maternal Mortality Review Committee. She is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and has served as Chair of ACOG’s Committee for the Health Care for Underserved Women. She is a member of the Society of Family Planning, the Black Mamas Matter Alliance, the Black Maternal Health Federal Policy Collective and a founding member of CERCL-FP (Centering Equity and Racial Literacy in Family Planning.)

KAREN THOMPSON

Legal Director, Pregnancy Justice

Bluesky: @PregnancyJust

Instagram: @pregnancyjust

Facebook

LinkedIn

As the Director of Litigation at Pregnancy Justice, Karen (KT) Thompson leads a team of attorneys in advocating for women and all those pregnancy-able who are prosecuted because of their pregnancies or pregnancy outcomes, whether that be a birth, a miscarriage or stillbirth, or an abortion. KT oversees the strategic litigation and legal advocacy efforts of Pregnancy Justice, working with partners and allies to advance the rights and dignity of pregnant people. Prior to joining Pregnancy Justice in January 2024, KT was a Senior Staff Attorney at the ACLU of New Jersey, where she litigated high-impact civil rights and civil liberties cases, focusing mainly on criminal legal system reform and prosecutorial accountability issues. A near decade of litigating wrongful conviction cases in Arkansas, Oklahoma, West Virginia, South Carolina and Pennsylvania as a senior staff attorney at the Innocence Project inform her litigation approaches every day. Her committed work in equipping new generations of civil rights leaders began during her time as the Director of Scholarship programs at LDF and continues in her mentorship and supervision of newly admitted attorneys. These combined experiences, alongside her seven years as an attorney in BigLaw, provide KT with a unique understanding of oppressive systems, as well as the vast opportunities for repair and resistance that can occur within them. KT continues to believe in the eternal power of the we.

DR. JENNA TOSH

President & CEO, Planned Parenthood CA, Central Coast

Instagram: @ppcacentralcoast

Facebook: @ppcentralcoast

Website: ppcentralcoast.org

Dr. Jenna Tosh is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Planned Parenthood California Central Coast, a role she has held since February 2015. Jenna began her career at Planned Parenthood in 2005, as the Director of Education & Advocacy for Planned Parenthood of Greater Orlando, where she also went on to hold the role of CEO. She holds a Doctorate in Public Affairs from the University of Central Florida, where she did her dissertation research on state reproductive health policies and their impact on teen pregnancy outcomes. Since taking the helm at Planned Parenthood California Central Coast, Dr. Tosh has led the implementation of evidence-based programs, the expansion of sexually transmitted infection services, and PPCCC's expansion into gender affirming care. Dr. Tosh is a past Chair of the Affiliate Chief Executive Council (ACEC), and is a two-time Chair of the Planned Parenthood California Education Fund, the statewide Planned Parenthood organization that has advanced some of the most pro-reproductive health policies in the country.