Should mothers who use Drugs or alcohol while pregnant should they be charged with a criminal crime ?
September 7th, 2010
I seen this question on a talk show yesterday about a mom who adopted 6 children who were born drug or alcohol addicted ,she is trying to pass a law that these moms should be prosecuted NOT just DCF involved . do you agree? I think its child endangerment and they should be prosecuted I think smoking cigarettes also.
Under current law, this would be impossible. Abortion in this country is legal because the government and the courts do not see it as killing or harming a human being….therefore, if a mother drinks or does drugs, how can they then say that she is harming anyone other than herself?
I agree with you and disagree with the pro choice advocates…but right now that is the law.
Most people who have a higher I.Q. than a light bulb would realize that it’s probably a bad idea to use drugs during pregnancy. How ever there are some who will use even if prosecuted or not.So even though it’s unfortunate giving the state any power over ones body is a slippery slope. Today the state has laws that control if I have the right to tweak the chemicals in my brain even though I harm no one. Go Figure.
Stop this mind set that every ill can be cured by a law!
I think yes!!! Mothers should be prosecuted for endangering their kids in any manner. Abortion is a different issue and needs to be discussed separately. But if someone decides to give birth to a baby, then it becomes that person’s responsibility to take care of the baby.
The life of a fetus cannot be separated from the life of the pregnant woman. This is unique in medicine and law. No one can create a set of medical principles or legal principles giving a right to life to the fetus, because by doing so, inevitably the woman’s rights become limited.
You gonna throw a women in jail for smoking cigs while pregnant, even though she is trying desperately to quit/cut down? Or how about the women who doesn’t know she is pregnant because her cycle is so irregular, should she be thrown in jail for drinking a couple glasses of wine when she didn’t know she was pregnant?
The way it works now – if the pregnant women comes up positive during a tox screen while pregnant then she and the child will both be slated to be drug tested at the birth. If the baby is found to have quantities of any illicit drug in it’s system, it is remanded to state care. Any other law that goes beyond that is a violation of of a women’s civil rights and that’s a slippery slope down hill.
What about coffee? Some studies say too much caffeine will cause miscarriage – should it be illegal for pregnancy women to drink coffee? According to a 2003 study by the British Medical Journal of 1055 women it was discovered that pregnant patients who took aspirin or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) were 60% – 80% more likely to miscarry than women who didn’t use the pain reliever.
Can you see how this is a just slipper slope down hill?
Anything taken in sufficient quantity could be labeled as threatening to a pregnancy.
Most women are responsible with their consumption of anything while pregnant, our right do not deserve to be taken away from us because of one crack head idiot who choose to do drugs while pregnant. While it’s unfortunate for her children, my rights shoudl not be taken away because she (one in a million) is a damnable moron.
~Pro-Choice Momma; Have had an abortion and I have a 13 month old daughter . I believe in protecting my daughter’s choice.
Abortion: There is a Consensus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsSQiazUvgo