Prenatal Legal Checkup

A legal checkup is a tool that can be used by people during all stages of life to figure out:

• What legal needs they may have
• What legal issues they can prevent

The Medical-Legal Partnership's prenatal legal checkup is designed to start conversations about health-harming legal needs during pregnancy. The video series covers many potential needs, such as health insurance, food security, domestic violence, employment, housing, healthcare decisions, parental rights, and breastfeeding. The goal is to encourage expecting parents to take their health into their own hands. 

• Every year, 1.7 million women in the U.S. get sick or die simply from getting pregnant.
• Many illnesses and deaths are due to where we live, grow, work, play, and age. These things are called social determinants of health.
• Things like income, health insurance, housing, education, employment, and even access to legal help are shaped by legal requirements and restrictions.

Find legal help here at TexasLawHelp's legal help directory.

Watch this video to learn more about how to cover prenatal care costs. Related topics include:

• Health insurance for children
• Pregnancy and healthcare

Watch this video to learn more about what public benefits may be available and how to access them. Such benefits may include:

• WIC benefits
• SNAP (food stamps)
• TANF

Watch this video to learn more about what rights pregnant persons have in the workplace. Learn more at Pregnancy and the workplace.

Watch this video about Protective Orders to learn more about how to stay safe from domestic violence.

Watch this video to learn more about housing rights. Related material on TexasLawHelp.org includes:

• House and apartment issues
• Eviction and landlord issues
• Tenants’ rights handbook

Watch this video about Medical Decision-making to learn more about how you can control or delegate your right to make medical decisions during pregnancy, especially if you face a serious pregnancy complication.

Watch this video to learn more about parental rights, such as visitation and who gets to make decisions about the child. Topics include:

• Paternity
• Grandparents and other nonparents

Watch this video to learn more about parental rights, such as establishing safe visitation when one parent has been abusive or presents a danger to the child.

Watch this video to learn about your rights as a breastfeeding parent in the workplace. Topics include break time for nursing mothers.

Watch this video to learn about government benefits that can help you access early childhood services, such as SSI, if your young child has special needs. Related topics include:

• Disability benefits
• Peace of Mind Handbook