Ms T.

Many of you have been following--and organizing around!--the case of Ms. T, a 28 year-old HIV-positive pregnant woman from Cameroon who was recently sentenced to 238 days in prison by a judge trying to protect her unborn child from being born with HIV. Ms. T has spent nearly six months in the Cumberland County Jail in Maine.
It is with much relief that I tell you--Ms. T was released Monday on bail, perhaps ironically, for the same reason that the judge originally imprisoned her, and efforts are proceeding forward to appeal her initial sentence.
A longer update on Ms. T's case is available online at RH Reality Check:

http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2009/06/16/in-search-justice-bail-granted-hiv-pregnant-woman
and pasted below.

Since the first public news of Ms. T's sentence, there has been a tremendous outpouring of support, uniting advocates in HIV/AIDS, detention and imprisonment, reproductive health, and racial justice movements. As efforts to appeal Ms. T's sentence at the First District Court level and address her immigration issues proceed, I will continue to reach out with updates and requests for support.

In struggle,
Laura

--
Laura McTighe
Director of Project UNSHACKLE
Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project (CHAMP)