Civil Rights Groups Sue State Over 6-Month In-State Residency Requirement for Women in Need of Pre-Natal Care

The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, Bay Area Legal Aid, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, and MCH Access’ lawyers hold that because the requirement discriminates against pregnant women who are new California residents on the basis of how long they have lived in the state, it violates both the California and the United States Constitutions.

MCH Access points out that time is of the essence in obtaining access to prenatal care, and that prenatal care is especially important to maternal and fetal health in the first trimester. The sixth-month in-state eligibility requirement means that working poor women who are new residents in California may not be able to obtain timely prenatal care through AIM at all.