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Addressing Disparities to Reproductive Health2023-03-29T11:36:42-04:00

The Addressing Disparities to Reproductive Health Project is APA’s initiative designed to support prosecutors nationally to reduce reproductive health-related investigations and prosecutions including pregnancy loss and abortion. The Project is funded by the Ford Foundation through the Collaborative for Gender + Reproductive Equity (CGRE). APA is guided by a select advisory committee composed of prosecutors from across the country to accomplish five goals: (1) conduct research into the medical science of reproductive health, the disparate impact of reproductive healthcare restrictive laws and related prosecutorial outcomes, (2) develop and publish reproductive health model policies and protocols for prosecutors focused on medical science and healthcare equity, (3) design a reproductive healthcare training and technical assistance (TTA) curriculum based upon the needs of the field (4) provide reproductive healthcare training (both in-person and virtual) to prosecutors, and (5) produce and publish materials on relevant topics in the specialty of reproductive health that will assist prosecutors.

To find states that ban, restrict or provide access to abortion, visit Lay of the Land: Abortion Policies and Access in the United States, Guttmacher Institute, March 26, 2023

State Abortion Statutes

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Webinars

Pregnancy and Substance Use: Understanding The Science and Legislative Impact
February 1, 2023

This webinar will discuss the medical science of substance use and addiction, important medication and treatment for pregnant women and strategies promoting positive outcomes. It will also highlight an analysis of a chemical endangerment law, its purpose, data analysis and the law’s impact.

News

Press Release: Association of Prosecuting Attorneys and Addressing Disparities to Reproductive Health Advisory Committee Releases Statement on the Criminalization of Abortion

By |May 5th, 2022|Categories: Announcements, APA In The News, Featured, News, Press Release, Reproductive Health Access|

For Immediate Release May 5, 2022 Contact: Jean Peters Baker,

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Project Team

Beth Merachnik
Beth MerachnikProject Director
Beth Merachnik serves as Project Director of the Association of Prosecuting Attorney’s (APA) Addressing Disparities to Reproductive Health Project. Ms. Merachnik is the former Deputy Director of APA’s Child Abuse Prosecution Project and former Director of APA’s Smart Prosecution Project. She is a former prosecutor from Massachusetts having served for over twenty years in both the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office and the Office of the Attorney General. Ms. Merachnik prosecuted a wide variety of cases during her career at the District Attorney’s office, including crimes of homicide, sexual assault and child abuse and held the position Director of the Middlesex Domestic Violence Unit for over four years. Ms. Merachnik served at the Office of the Attorney General, first as the Chief of the Community-Based Justice Bureau and then Senior Counsel and Trial Attorney in the Criminal Bureau.
David LaBahn
David LaBahnPresident/CEO
Mr. David LaBahn is President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys (APA), a national association representing elected and deputy or assistant prosecutors, and city attorneys. The association acts as a global forum for the exchange of ideas, allowing prosecutors to collaborate with all criminal justice partners, and conducts timely and effective training and technical assistance to improve the prosecutorial function. In addition, APA serves as an advocate for prosecutors on emerging issues related to the administration of justice, development of partnerships and implementation of problem-solving strategies.
Aimee Peterson
Aimee PetersonProject Associate
Aimee Peterson serves as the Project Associate of the Association of Prosecuting Attorney’s (APA) Addressing Disparities to Reproductive Health Project. Aimee previously served as the Project Associate for APA’s Child Abuse Prosecution Project. Aimee holds a B.A. from St. John’s University in Government and Politics and also brings experience working in the non-profit sector previously holding positions at the National Sheriffs’ Association and the School Superintendents Association.
Sasha Beatty
Sasha BeattyDeputy General Counsel
Sasha Beatty joined the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys in July 2019 after previously working for the Nashville District Attorney’s Office for two years as an Assistant District Attorney General. There, she prosecuted domestic violence cases before working in Criminal Court Divisions I and V as a felony trial prosecutor. Sasha received her Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt University Law School in May of 2017. She attended Duke University and received her Bachelor of Arts in U.S. History with a minor in French. Sasha is admitted to practice law in the State of Tennessee and the District of Columbia, and is a member of the Tennessee State Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the American Constitution Society. In addition to her work in the Office of General Counsel, Sasha works as the Web Development Director.
Merrill Mezzacappa
Merrill MezzacappaAPA Fellow
Merrill Mezzacappa is a former Chief Assistant Prosecutor with the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office in New Jersey. She also served as an Assistant Prosecutor in Sussex County, NJ, and as a Judicial Law Clerk. Throughout her 25 year career, Merrill successfully tried cases including vehicular homicide, homicide, aggravated sexual assault and strict liability for drug induced death, and she lead a trial team. Merrill served as the legal supervisor to the sex crimes, child abuse, vehicular homicide, domestic violence and victim witness units in the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office. She was the legal advisor to the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program, a member of the Domestic Violence Working Group, and a Special Deputy Attorney General in the State Grand Jury Investigation of Allegations of Sexual Abuse by Members of the Clergy. Merrill also devoted years of practice to teaching constitutional aspects of search and seizure to police officers. Merrill serves as a Fellow for APA’s Addressing Disparities to Reproductive Health Project
Alissa Marque Heydari
Alissa Marque HeydariAPA Fellow
Alissa Marque Heydari served as Acting Director of the Institute for Innovation in Prosecution (IIP) at John Jay College of Criminal Justice for two years. The IIP provides a collaborative national platform to bring together local prosecutors, policy experts, and the communities they serve to foster data-driven strategies, cutting-edge scholarship, and innovative thinking.

Prior to joining the IIP, Alissa was an Assistant District Attorney in New York County (DANY), where she handled hundreds of cases, including violent felonies and homicides. While at DANY she served as Acting Criminal Court Supervisor and was a member of the Sex Crimes Unit and Elder Abuse Unit.

Alissa is a graduate of the George Washington University Law School and received her undergraduate degree at the University of California, Berkeley. She clerked for the Honorable Mitchel E. Ostrer in the New Jersey Appellate Division. She has been quoted in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, NBC News, Bloomberg Law, CBS, The Washington Post, and many other media outlets.

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