Drug use is a contentious issue being debated all around the world. It becomes even more adverse when it comes to expectant mothers who use substances. Overall, there is no agreement on the question of moral or legal justification for drug use, especially during pregnancies. Whatever the case may be, pregnant women with drug addiction exist, and governments and medicine have to address the issue. However wrong or illegal it might seem, drug consumption during pregnancy is a crime that should be prosecuted, but it does not mean that drug addicts should be restricted in receiving medical care during pregnancy.
First of all, the unregulated consumption of drugs is a crime, regardless of the abuser’s circumstances. This becomes critical when the person with a drug consumption history is expecting a child. As Zastrow and Kirst-Ashman (2010) wrote, “the effects of many drugs on the fetus are unclear” (p. 67). This implies that the health condition of a child is a matter of probability. By deciding to continue misusing drugs, women undergoing pregnancy increase the likelihood of damaging the fetus. Consequently, they should be subjected to prosecution for illegal drug use and risking their child’s life up to the termination of parental rights.
Secondly, holding mothers accountable for drug abuse does not resolve the matter of the child in a womb. Denying these women prenatal care can lead to abortion, birth of children with deficiencies, and more drug consumption. This raises a moral dilemma concerning the responsibility for a child’s well-being.
A mother who decided to misuse drugs put her health as well as her unborn child’s health in jeopardy. However, that does not downplay the responsibility of a government that denies such women health care. Using drugs does not guarantee a damaged child; moreover, drug addicts are not the only group who receive inappropriate support while expecting a baby. This is why governments ought to provide everyone with an opportunity to successfully carry a child.
Thirdly, there is a matter of the effect the drug use has on the fetus. The effect of substances affecting unborn children is not certain. Even an actively engaged in drugs mother has a chance to bear a healthy child. This means that it is too early to equate prenatal drug usage with child abuse. As Schriver (2011) said, “the purpose of human behavior and the social environment content within the social work curriculum is to provide us with knowledge for practice” (p. 526).
It means that by refusing to neglect women who suffer from drug addiction, hospitals can increase the number of cases, based on which they can conduct more thorough research. Ultimately, they could give the lawmakers better understanding of the essence of this crime.
Overall, although drug use itself is a crime, the addicts should not be restricted in receiving medical care during pregnancy. Substances affect vital organs, reduce life expectancy, and bring about chronic diseases of the person who is misusing them, but the changes in the development of fetus caused by drugs are not certain.
The only dependence that can be stated is that substance use during pregnancies is more likely to negatively affect the childbirth. At this point it is premature to state a correlation between mothers’ drug abuse and fetus well-being. Nevertheless, expectant mothers should be aware of their direct legal and moral responsibility for their unborn children and repercussions of their actions.
References
Schriver, J. M. (2011). Human behavior and the social environment: Shifting paradigms in essential knowledge for social work practice (6th ed.). Allyn & Bacon.
Zastrow, C. H., & Kirst-Ashman, K. K. (2010). Understanding human behavior and the social environment (9th ed.). Brooks/Cole.