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Jill Wieber Lens

@jillwieberlens.bsky.social

1.4K followers 280 following 140 posts

Lawprof at Univ Iowa. Research stillbirth and pregnancy loss from legal perspective, to honor my Caleb. My work: http://ssrn.com/author=1292641 Stillbirth & the Law coming from UCPress spring 2025: https://www.ucpress.edu/books/stillbirth-and-the-law/pape

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Jill Wieber Lens @jillwieberlens.bsky.social · Apr 1

So happy to share that my book Stillbirth & the Law is out today from @ucpress.bsky.social!

www.ucpress.edu/books/stillb...

A picture of the cover of the book entitled Stillbirth & the Law

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Reposted by Jill Wieber Lens

Jill Wieber Lens @jillwieberlens.bsky.social · 1d

Excited to share my latest, an article I've had in my head for years, Fetal Life Hypocrisies. A brief thread -- papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Fetal Life Hypocrisies

Fifty years ago in Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court proclaimed and validated the state interest in protecting fetal life. That validation ha

papers.ssrn.com

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Jill Wieber Lens @jillwieberlens.bsky.social · 1d

Anger at the calls to ban "late" abortion b/c of fetal pain, yet no concern for the 10K+ stillbirths after 28 weeks that actually could involve fetal pain.

The hypocrisies are thick and hurtful -- and should undermine the state's ability to ban abortion in the name of protecting fetal life. /end

Jill Wieber Lens @jillwieberlens.bsky.social · 1d

This has been in my head since my son's stillbirth. Anger that I've never seen a yard sign asking for prayers to end preventable stillbirth. Anger at the TX legis doing everything it can to prevent abortion at 6 weeks, but nothing to prevent stillbirth at 37 weeks. 4/

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Jill Wieber Lens @jillwieberlens.bsky.social · 1d

The hypocrisies aren't resolvable. Some stillbirths are preventable, and the choice to not attempt to prevent those stillbirths is intentional. I argue that the hypocrisies should be used to challenge abortion bans -- the type of creative arguments needed post Dobbs. 3/

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Jill Wieber Lens @jillwieberlens.bsky.social · 1d

The piece seeks to undermine the antiabortion interest in protecting fetal life -- because antis care not at all about non-abortion fetal death. States like MS, AL, and AR quickly banned abortion to protect fetal life. Yet they consistently have the highest stillbirth rates in the US. 2/

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Jill Wieber Lens @jillwieberlens.bsky.social · 1d

Excited to share my latest, an article I've had in my head for years, Fetal Life Hypocrisies. A brief thread -- papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Fetal Life Hypocrisies

Fifty years ago in Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court proclaimed and validated the state interest in protecting fetal life. That validation ha

papers.ssrn.com

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Jill Wieber Lens @jillwieberlens.bsky.social · 6d

I meant to ask how you were doing after that not great Philly sports night...

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Reposted by Jill Wieber Lens

Jen Jennings @jenjennings.bsky.social · 11d

We invented graduated drivers licenses for teens. They worked. But we leave 80-year-olds to “see how it goes.” Every family suffers on their own. But this is a shared social problem, not a personal one. We need conditional licenses for older drivers. Daylight. Local. Annual medical check-ins.

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Jill Wieber Lens @jillwieberlens.bsky.social · 11d

Pharmacies don’t even have pediatric doses…

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Jill Wieber Lens @jillwieberlens.bsky.social · 19d

Early (early!!) bed time.

Jill Wieber Lens @jillwieberlens.bsky.social · 19d

It’s hot but still a beautiful day for homecoming (and my 20 year law school reunion, whew).

Reposted by Jill Wieber Lens

Jessica Lussenhop @jlussenhop.bsky.social · 21d

This is EXTRAORDINARY impact, driven by the Pulitzer Prize-finalist journalism of @deldeib.bsky.social. At a time when so much is being dismantled, it is incredible to see something like this launching to improve health outcomes for moms and babies: www.propublica.org/article/nih-...

NIH Launches New Multimillion-Dollar Initiative to Reduce U.S. Stillbirth Rate

Clinical teams across the country are forming a five-year, $37 million consortium to research stillbirth, a long-neglected public health concern. “There’s no question that the ProPublica reporting was...

www.propublica.org

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Jill Wieber Lens @jillwieberlens.bsky.social · 23d

The focus on "naturalness" of pregnancy and motherhood also only fortifies the failure women feel when they can't get pregnant or don't produce a living baby.

Carter Sherman @cartersherman.bsky.social · 23d

Trump & RFK's attack on Tylenol is part of an emerging campaign within the right to valorize “natural” pregnancy & motherhood—to the point it corrodes women’s health & safety.

Under this campaign, pregnancy & motherhood are seen as women’s natural states.

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Trump rails against Tylenol but autism claims not supported by science

President’s announcement latest move in campaign that seeks to valorize the ‘natural’ – often at women’s expense

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Jill Wieber Lens

Jenna Laine @jennalaine.bsky.social · 24d

So…Aaron Glenn’s sideline celebration is 🔥🔥🔥 with Earth, Wind & Fire attached to it.

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Jill Wieber Lens @jillwieberlens.bsky.social · 27d

All good! (Again, I appreciate Illinois!)

Jill Wieber Lens @jillwieberlens.bsky.social · 27d

Yeah. One of mine is over 12 now, but two in the 5-11 range. Getting the youngest over 5 certainly helped. But always a new obstacle each year mostly based on access. Even last year, had to travel to another state (yay Illinois!) to get those two timely covid vaccinated.

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Jill Wieber Lens @jillwieberlens.bsky.social · 27d

Congrats!! Can’t wait to read!

Jill Wieber Lens @jillwieberlens.bsky.social · 28d

But this also assumes access to the vaccines. It’s incredibly difficult to find a pharmacy or a pediatrician office that stocks pediatric Covid doses for kids 5-11 (and I assume even worse for 6 months-4) outside of major cities. Willing pediatricians alone can’t solve this.

Sam Brunson @smbrnsn.bsky.social · 28d

Just took my daughter to our pediatrician and, if she's representative of pediatricians (and she may be better than most), my impression is they're planning on being 100% screw RFK Jr.'s anti-vax garbage and vax off-label if necessary.

CNN @cnn.com · 28d

JUST IN: Vaccine advisers to the CDC have voted to recommended against using the combined measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox vaccine for children under 4. https://cnn.it/3K73pNn

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Jill Wieber Lens @jillwieberlens.bsky.social · 28d

I hope Illinois knows how much I appreciate it. (From someone living in an adjacent state.)

Jill Wieber Lens @jillwieberlens.bsky.social · 29d

Anyone out there know of what Illinois pharmacies are doing with kiddo (5-11) covid vaccines? Requiring Dr prescriptions?

Jill Wieber Lens @jillwieberlens.bsky.social · Sep 10

More on how we're not gathering data on covid 19 infections in pregnant people and stillbirths in my book here --

www.ucpress.edu/books/stillb...

Stillbirth and the Law by Jill Lens - Paper

Scholarship is a powerful tool for changing how people think, plan, and govern. By giving voice to bright minds and bold ideas, we seek to foster understanding and drive progressive change.

www.ucpress.edu

Jill Wieber Lens @jillwieberlens.bsky.social · Sep 10

Like we should be, as @deldeib.bsky.social writes here.
www.propublica.org/article/covi...

“God, No, Not Another Case.” COVID-Related Stillbirths Didn’t Have to Happen.

A lack of testing data and government guidance led many to avoid the COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy, unwittingly increasing their chances of a stillbirth.

www.propublica.org

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Jill Wieber Lens @jillwieberlens.bsky.social · Sep 10

Yet we're not gathering any data on covid infections and stillbirths.

HELLody SchreiBOO @melodyschreiber.com · Sep 10

Makary and Prasad are reportedly seeking to waive privacy protections around Covid data and pregnant people. www.wsj.com/health/healt...

Exclusive | Health Officials Hunt for Cases Connecting Covid Shot and Harm in Pregnant Women

Top health officials under Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are compiling examples of harmful effects of Covid shots on pregnant women to share with the public, furthering the administration’s scrutiny of vaccin...

www.wsj.com

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Reposted by Jill Wieber Lens

Evan Bernick, a finite mode with a smol hooman and a lorg floof @evanbernick.bsky.social · Sep 9

@jillwieberlens.bsky.social and I wrote a much longer piece that gets into the nuts and bolts of this nonsense. The admin hasn't shown much interest in assigning constitutional rights to embryos/fetuses, but that could change tomorrow. Therefore this essay. repository.law.umich.edu/mlr/vol122/i...

"Original Public Meaning and Pregnancy’s Ambiguities" by Evan D. Bernick and Jill Wieber Lens

Relying on 1868 abortion statutes, the 2022 Supreme Court held in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that no federal constitutional right to abortion exists. Mere months later, a petition fo...

repository.law.umich.edu

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Jill Wieber Lens @jillwieberlens.bsky.social · Sep 10

Congrats, Evan!