Poonam Daryani

Poonam Daryani will be joining Pregnancy Justice, a legal advocacy organization that fights to ensure that people do not lose their rights because of their capacity for pregnancy or pregnancy outcome, with a focus on those most at risk of state control and criminalization. Rooted in reproductive justice principles, Poonam’s project seeks to challenge the rise in state punishment of prenatal use of legally-prescribed substances (such as medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder).

Poonam will work with local partners in Texas and Oklahoma to develop affirmative litigation, provide strategic counsel to family and criminal defense attorneys, and engage in public education and advocacy.

Poonam holds a JD from Yale Law School, an MPH from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and a BA from Scripps College. Prior to attending law school, Poonam worked for several years in health justice advocacy, with a focus on gender and reproduction. Through this project, Poonam hopes to leverage her legal training and public health background to support the visionary work of advocates and impacted communities who are challenging pregnancy criminalization.

Fellowship type: Justice Catalyst

Organization: Pregnancy Justice

Project name: Challenging state punishment of people who use prescribed substances during pregnancy