Mother For Drug Abuse example essay topic

Should pregnant women who use illicit drugs be prosecuted? At first glance, these words leave a terrible taste in your mouth. Any healthy and sane human being will most certainly agree that the use of any such dangerous drug during pregnancy is an issue that demands action. The unborn child is helpless and unable to take part in any decision that directly affects their well-being. It is only human to feel that a woman who robs her child of the right to live a normal, healthy life should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. However, throughout my research of this topic, I have found this question to be harder to answer than I had originally thought.

A doctor delivers a child who doesn't have the opportunity to even experience one breath of fresh air; the child is born without a heartbeat. Another child is born with horrifying defects resulting from excessive alcohol abuse. A child is born HIV positive because his mother decided to use the community needle to deliver her injection of black tar heroin. Another child makes it home from the hospital, but dies alone in a crib a week later, a victim of SIDS resulting from the prenatal use of crack cocaine. Preventing tragedies like those just mentioned is the driving force behind a campaign by countless prosecution advocates who feel punishment is the answer. Their hearts are in the right place, but are their proposed solution the answer we are looking for?

These advocates feel that injecting a newborn with a drug is "delivering drugs to a minor". They further state that any damage that does occur due to the use of drugs is an additional crime; "injury to a child". It is in their opinion that any pregnant woman who knowingly delivers any drug through her bloodstream to her unborn fetus is committing the same crime as a mother who injects her newborn child with that same drug. A crime is a crime.

The legal status of the fetus is the issue here. It isn't clear whether a fetus can be considered legally equivalent to a child. Unless they are, the same laws of child abuse cannot be applied to fetuses. In many states, the age of viability is 24 weeks.

After the fetus reaches this age, abortion becomes illegal. This is based on research of prenatal development. Logically, this should mean that existing laws against child abuse and administering drugs to children should also apply to a fetus that has reached 24 weeks. There are also cases where doctors have sought legal intervention when a pregnant mother makes a medical decision that is potentially harmful to her child.

In one particular case, a judge ordered a mother pregnant with triplets, to deliver by cesarean section after she had initially refused the procedure. The next question concerns the actual evidence of the abuse. How would prosecutors be able to prove that the child was a victim of prenatal drug abuse? In some cases, it has been said that a positive drug test upon delivery in a hospital would constitute prosecution. This is difficult because although many drugs may pass through the placenta, they may not appear in a test on a newborn child. Certain drugs may remain in the system for a long time and others may stay within the newborn's system for a mere couple of hours.

Prosecutors argue that doctors should report drug use by pregnant mothers to the authorities as they are required to report cases of child abuse. While these issues are all rather difficult to address and even more difficult to enforce, there are alternatives. Many public health officials recommend a combination of early prenatal care, education, and drug treatment. If a problem can be addressed early in the pregnancy, there is a better chance of treating the mother for drug abuse and avoiding harm to the unborn child. Education is also very important. Some expectant mothers who may be experiencing a drug problem may not completely understand the effect of their addiction on their child.

They may not be aware of the consequences. An intense educational program that forces the mother to realize the potential tragedy can prove more effective than prosecution. Many pregnant women using illegal drugs, who are aware of the possibility of prosecution for their actions, may end up neglecting their unborn children before the drugs themselves even have a chance to do their dirty work. They may choose to avoid early prenatal care and medical attention. This will deprive the child of the care they deserve to increase their chances of a healthy and happy birth. Information can prove to be worth more than the fear of going to jail.

A picture is always worth a thousand words. If the mother can see for herself the actual effects of these illicit drugs during pregnancy, she may be horrified enough to question and change her behavior.