Description

When the 2022 Dobbs decision allowed states to prohibit abortions, Texas enacted a criminal abortion ban. Texas's criminalization of abortion has created new questions at the intersection of criminal law and healthcare access. These legal developments have caused heightened police scrutiny on the activities of pregnant women. It is imperative for criminal defense lawyers to be aware of the specific definitions in the law, the behavior that is prohibited, and any defenses

Speakers:

Blake Rocap is the director of the Sissy Farenthold Reproductive Justice Defense Project at the Bernard and Audre Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice housed at Texas Law. He is also the legal director of Jane's Due Process, an abortion fund that serves young people, where he has represented minors in judicial bypass cases since 2003. He is an expert on state abortion law and policy serving as AVOW's (formerly NARAL Pro-Choice Texas) Legislative Counsel since 2009 and is also board certified in legislative and campaign law.

Cristina I. Ramirez is the criminal defense lead of the Sissy Farenthold Reproductive Justice Defense Project at UT Law’s Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice. Prior to this role, Cristina served as a public defender in the Travis County Public Defender’s Office, where she represented clients on misdemeanor and felony charges, as well as collateral ALR, parole, and protective order hearings. She previously worked in the Criminal Defense Practice at the Legal Aid Society in New York City and the Dallas County Public Defender’s Office. Cristina received a B.S in Public Relations from the University of Texas at Austin and a J.D. from Boston University School of Law. While in law school, Cristina represented juvenile and adult clients as part of the Criminal Defense Clinic. She interned at the New England Innocence Project, Dallas County Public Defender’s Office, and the Public Defender Service for D.C. Cristina is licensed in Texas and New York.