Pregnant drug users
Prematurity, Low Birth Rate, Infections, Small Head Size, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, Birth Defects, and Stunted Growth. These are merely a few of the health risks associated with drug abuse for a baby. When a pregnant woman uses drugs, she and her unborn child face serious health problems. During pregnancy, the drugs used by the mother can enter the baby's bloodstream. Some states have taken measures to detect pregnant women who use drugs. In particular, a South Carolina public hospital's policy is designed to detect pregnant women who use crack-cocaine. In South Carolina if a mother uses cocaine while pregnant it will not only cause health risks for her and her unborn child, she will also be faced with criminal prosecutions. Why does South Carolina feel the need to punish pregnant cocaine users? Besides the fact that cocaine is illegal, they either want to solely punish the women or detect them in hopes of helping them rehabilitate. Research shows that South Carolina's main concerns are criminal prosecution. Simon Heller, an attorney for a woman who tested positive, says that she was arrested "right out of the hospital bed, still bleeding from having given birth." The woman was
South Carolina law requires all medical professionals and drug counselors to report child neglect to police or face prosecution. Doctors already have started reporting women, but drug counselors refuse to do so arguing that it would be counterproductive. An operator for the Keystone women's drug clinic in South Carolina said, "If we turn them over to police when they come in here, then our whole effectiveness is gone. I don't. I can't. And I won't." A half-dozen former crack addicts interviewed at Keystone all said the fear of going to jail initially had kept them from seeking help. In retrospect, supporters of South Carolina's policy say the law has forced crack-addicted women to seek care, making for healthier mothers and children. This has proven to be false. For example, a 28-year-old South Carolina woman said she moved to Charlotte, N.C., when she got pregnant so she could keep using crack without getting arrested. But critics say the law, while well intentioned, is poor public health policy. The nation's major medical organizations, including the American Medical Association and the American Nurses Association, oppose criminal sanctions against drug-addicted pregnant women- they favor rehabilitation. South Carolina Attorney General hopes
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Approximate Word count = 852
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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