The issue of pregnant women and misuse of illicit drugs has been a contentious one, with many state scenarios recommending criminal prosecution against them. This matter is such a critical issue because substance use is likely to harm fetuses. Improvement of maternal and infant health is a public health priority that has solicited radical views that have seen the rise in prosecution of mothers who abuse illicit drugs (Boyd, 1993). This issue has disproportionately affected minority women who are put under constant surveillance with the risk of conviction.
The concern about laws against substance abuse in pregnancy also raises questions on the government infringement of rights by regulating women's bodies. Fear of attending prenatal care has been the result of subjecting these women to the possibility of prosecution, risking the life of both the mother and the fetus (Stone, 2015). A more suitable will be to enroll the women who abuse substances during pregnancy in treatment programs that rehabilitate them gradually. There is no valid reason to consider legal sanctions against these women since many are victims of addiction and abuse substances impulsively.
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Other strategies that can be used to reduce the risk of such teratogenic harm may be implemented to replace the extremity of criminal prosecution. One key strategy that has proven to be successful is the increase of folic acid intake. It is recommended that women take 400 micrograms of folate daily. For pregnant women, this can also assist in the prevention of birth defects. Reducing sugar intake in the body is another method that can be used to prevent defects. Gestational diabetes is a risk to infants when there is a high intake of sugar by pregnant women (Ray, 2020). These children may be premature, underdeveloped, and born with birth defects. Besides the risk to infants, mothers who consume large quantities of sugar are at risk of developing insulin resistance and diabetes. Early detection and treatment of teratogenic harm in pregnancy is an important factor in handling the issue.
Apart from illicit substance abuse in pregnancy, evidence also indicates taking legal substances such as alcohol, cigarettes, and aspirin medication can cause teratogenic harm to infants. Though the use of these substances does not subject the mother to prosecution, the stigma, guilt, and stereotype associated with their use are equally damaging psychologically to women. Besides, the use of alcohol as a high teratogenic risk substance is often understated in prenatal care. Alcohol has been proven to increase the risk of fetal alcohol spectrum, a disorder responsible for growth deficiency and facial defects (Stone, 2015). Nicotine present in cigarettes has been proven to lead to neonatal abstinence syndrome and low birth weight. Education on using these legal substances should be well communicated to the mothers and appropriate solutions offered.
Detoxification treatment is the most appropriate for alcohol abuse, with a proven record of success in attaining abstinence goals in a fast and safe manner. Close monitoring is also significant to provide the necessary support needed to avoid relapsing (Koffarnus, 2019). During this process, a supportive relationship must be developed between the caregiver and the patient to prevent relapse and set personal abstinence goals. Nicotine, on the other hand, should be treated to reduce cigarette intake daily. The best treatment measure with proven success but few health complications is nonpharmacologic treatment management like psychological counseling. The use of this method with supportive care can effectively promote the reduction of smoking among pregnant mothers. Pharmacological options should be used carefully and minimally due to the increased risk of complication to both fetus and mother (Stone, 2015). Nonpharmacological treatments focusing on nutrition counseling and frequent care have recorded high degrees of success in handling these challenges.
Drug testing should not be mandated but be conducted on the recommendation by a health practitioner. It is important to subject all mothers to a psychoeducation session to present the risk factors related to both illicit and legal substances in causing teratogenic harm to a developing child. Mothers who voluntarily admit to substance abuse should be requested to enroll in suitable treatment programs. Continuous screening to detect an early birth defect and treat appropriately. Women who are discovered to be using illicit drugs should not be prosecuted but placed under rehabilitative treatment such as counseling. Treating illicit substance users as criminals is ethically wrong since most of them are chronic users with many psychological issues.
Some of the programs that should be put in place to minimize harm to developing babies include rehabilitation clinics in prenatal care. The fear that has been associated with criminally sanctioning women who abuse drugs has caused more damage than good. No evidence suggests that sanctioning has managed to stop mothers from taking the drugs. The radical improvement in rehabilitative care as a solution to substance abuse offers an opportunity for these measures to be implemented to minimize the risk of harm to infants. Another program would be distributing folic acid vitamins to all women of childbearing age since it has been proven to effectively minimize the risk of birth defects. There is also a need to have specialized care for pregnant mothers with substance abuse problems. Developing interventions that focus on the individual care of pregnant mothers promises to be an effective strategy in treating them.
References
Boyd, S. C. (1993). Women and Illicit Drugs. https://doi.org/10.3138/9781442677418
Koffarnus, M. N. (2019). Remote Alcohol Monitoring to Facilitate Abstinence From Alcohol: Exp 1. Case Medical Research . https://doi.org/10.31525/ct1-nct03883126
Public Broadcasting Service. How Is Sex Determined? PBS. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/how-sex-determined.html.
Ray, A. (2020). Introductory Chapter: Gestational Diabetes Mellitus. Gestational Diabetes Mellitus - An Overview with Some Recent Advances . https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.86855
Stone, R. (2015). Pregnant women and substance use: fear, stigma, and barriers to care. Health & Justice , 3 (1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40352-015-0015-5
