Stateless at Birth - Birthright Citizenship and the Safeguarding of Immigrant Maternal and Child Health.

Fabi, Rachel E; Santos, Patricia Mae G; Sommers, Benjamin D; Cervantes, Lilia · J Gen Intern Med · 2026

Where this comes from

Abstract

This perspective discusses the public health implications of the recent executive order (EO), and subsequent court challenges, regarding the termination of birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution. The EO threatens to undermine the justification that undergirds many state and federal policies regarding access to maternal healthcare for immigrants: the expectation that babies born in the USA will become US citizens. In so doing, the EO creates conditions under which many children born in the USA may be rendered stateless and thus ineligible for public benefits.

Medical subject headings