Drug Abuse by Pregnant Women

The definition of child abuse is mistreatment of a child by parent, guardian, or an adult responsible for his or her welfare. Now, should drug use by pregnant women be considered child abuse? Babies should be born healthy, not have the risk of dying. But, when women are scared to seek prenatal care, abortions are not considered child abuse, and pregnant women have to smoke marijuana for medicinal reasons, might change your mind. Paul A. Logli, an Illinois prosecuting attorney, argues that it is the government’s duty to enforce children’s rights to begin with a healthy, drug-free minded, and healthy bodies. Cigarette smoking causes serious illness and premature death in the general population. But pregnant women who smoke pass the nicotine and other carcinogenic chemicals to the growing fetus. According to the Centers for Disease Control, mothers who smoke early in their pregnancy are more likely to deliver babies that have several different heart defects, including septal defects – essentially a hole in the wall between the heart’s left and right chambers. Sadly, most infants with congenital heart defects die in the first year of life. Those infants who survive often face lengthy hospital stays and numerous surgeries along with a lifetime of disabilities. Human costs related to the pain, suffering, and deaths resulting from maternal cocaine use during pregnancy are incalculable. The typical intensive-care costs for treating babies exposed to drugs, range from $7,500-$31,000. In some cases medical bills go as high as $150,000. On February 4, 1989, at a Rockford. Illinois hospital, two day old Bianca Green lost her brief struggle for life. At the time of Bianca’s birth, both she and her mother, 24 year old, Melanie Green, tested positive for the presence of cocaine in their systems. Social worker, Maureen A. Norton Hawk, contends that prosecuting women who use drugs during pregnancy will lead to fewer women seeking prenatal care. In May 1989, Melanie Green was indicated on charges of man slaughter and delivery of a controlled substance to a minor after the purported drug induced death of her newborn. The publicity that surrounded this arrest impeded women to seek prenatal care and drug treatment. The Prenatal Care Center for Dependence at Northeastern University received numerous calls from frightened women, panicking that they were going to get arrested. Abortion is the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, shouldn’t that be just as cruel as women that use drugs during pregnancy? The reason is when you assume that an unborn child has "human rights" which would then mean that "abortions" are likewise a violation similar to child abuse, but that’s legal. Child abuse includes physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect. Neglect meaning a failure to meet a child’s basic needs. Like housing, food, clothing, education, and access to medical care. If women are fearful to seek prenatal care because they don’t want to get arrested. They shouldn’t do drugs, especially while they’re pregnant. If they have medicinal reasons to smoke marijuana or get over the counter drugs. It could harm the baby still, they shouldn’t get pregnant when they know it could damage the fetus. Therefore, it should be considered child abuse. It’s mistreatment to a child. In conclusion, there are a few pros and cons to this situation. While you think that women getting arrested for using drugs while being pregnant is a good thing, women are scared to go get prenatal care. Which is a bad thing because even if they’re not on drugs the baby could still come out un healthy. Babies should be born healthy and not have the risk of passing away. Even though women have to because of medicinal reasons. After knowing all this information, should it be considered child abuse?