Drug Debate: Will punishing women who take drugs while pregnant help, hurt or both?

brij2006 · April 2014

What are your thoughts on this article?

http://www.wrcbtv.com/story/25356747/drug-debate-will-punishing-women-who-take-drugs-while-pregnant-help-hurt-or-both

"The bill says a pregnant woman may be prosecuted for an “assaultive offense … if her child is born addicted … or harmed by the narcotic drug.” She can be charged with homicide if her baby dies because of her drug use."

BackseatDriver · April 2014

I would worry that it might make addicts less likely to seek prenatal care, less likely to seek treatment during pregnancy, less likely to show up to a hospital to give birth, and more likely to leave the baby in a dangerous situation or abandon them completely after birth.

I also think it is a slippery slope.

seahorse01 · April 2014

BackseatDriver said:

I would worry that it might make addicts less likely to seek prenatal care, less likely to seek treatment during pregnancy, less likely to show up to a hospital to give birth, and more likely to leave the baby in a dangerous situation or abandon them completely after birth.

I also think it is a slippery slope.

My thoughts exactly.

PandPMeant2B · April 2014

seahorse01 said:

BackseatDriver said:

I would worry that it might make addicts less likely to seek prenatal care, less likely to seek treatment during pregnancy, less likely to show up to a hospital to give birth, and more likely to leave the baby in a dangerous situation or abandon them completely after birth.

I also think it is a slippery slope.

My thoughts exactly.

Ditto.

BruinsBabe33 · April 2014

What PPs said.

lilliesandvino · April 2014

This makes me sick. It will do nothing but deter women from getting proper care.

MH1006 · April 2014

You would be amazed at how many babies are in NICUs purely for neonatal abstinence syndrome (basically babies withdrawing after birth when they are no longer getting the fix mama gave them in the womb). AMAZED. I don't know what the answer is, but something needs to be done.

brij2006 · April 2014

@mh1006 From your perspective on being someone who handles those babies, how do you feel about the proposed bill?

BruinsBabe33 · April 2014

I agree, MH. My cousin was born addicted to meth and it is awful. I just don't think this is the answer. I wish I had one.

MH1006 · April 2014

I'm glad something is being done, but I don't know that this is the answer. I know it's easy to criticize it and not have a better solution, but that's pretty much where I'm at. Don't have any great ideas, just sick and tired of taking care of drug addicted babies, and I feel like the general public has no clue just how common it is and how serious a problem it is. I will say that a very large majority of babies are now methadone addicted, meaning the mom sought help for her problem while pregnant... But a drug addicted baby is a drug addicted baby, whether it's methadone or anything else. I would say automatically insert an IUD when putting a woman on methadone (ok, I know that's not ok but just sayin) but most women are only on methadone because they are pregnant. Most of those women will get to take their babies home, too. They're such great moms for getting help. There's no way they'll fall back into old habits! Having a baby isn't stressful at all!

MH1006 · April 2014

True story: A mom had us cloth diaper a drug addicted baby. Cloth diapers! It was ok for mom to do drugs while she was pregnant, but it wasn't ok for us to use Pampers. Effing ridiculous.

MrsFreeman2010 · April 2014

It's a very interesting topic. Working in L&D and closely with the NICU I have seen babies born addicted to drugs, having to be put morphine to ease their cravings and slowly titrated so that there withdrawal isn't as bad. I have seen moms who have gone into labor prematurely because of the drugs or alcohol they were on and ultimately lose the baby. I have seen babies die at term because of the addictions of their mothers.

Clearly something has to be done because it's the babies, who have zero control in the situation that are paying the price. I don't know if this is the right approach but at least they are trying to do something.

Drug Debate: Will punishing women who take drugs while pregnant help, hurt or both?

Re: Drug Debate: Will punishing women who take drugs while pregnant help, hurt or both?

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