Vermont’s child welfare agency has asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit alleging the state routinely targets and tracks pregnant women deemed unsuitable for motherhood.
The Department for Children and Families filed the request Monday, two months after it was sued by a woman who claims the state secretly investigated her when she was pregnant and won custody of her daughter before the baby was born. The lawsuit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont and the Pregnancy Justice advocacy group, seeks both an end to what it calls an illegal surveillance program and unspecified monetary damages for the woman, who is identified only by her initials, A.V.
