...Pregnant Women Should Be Prosecuted For Doing Drugs Birth Defects that occur because of street drugs being used during pregnancy is increasing every year. The most common drugs used by pregnant women are cocaine, heroin, and marijuana, which are easy bought and sold around the world. Some cases infants have even passed away or had birth defects such as growth defects, bad lungs, feeding problems, and may have an addiction problem. Tennessee is the only state to have a law prosecuting women who do drugs while pregnant, but noone has really tried to resolve this problem or for the numbers to decrease. Women are abusing infants before they are even born, abuse is a crime , and women should be charged ( Drug use and Pregnancy). During pregnancy at least 1 in every 20 pregnant women does street drugs during their pregnancy. Cocaine can increase the risk of miscarriage or cause placental abruptions, preterm birth and fetal death can occur , or the baby could be born with a smaller head and have growth restrictions. Injecting heroin can cause the baby to have an addiction to heroin, low blood sugar, internal bleeding, and death. Smoking marijuana could make the levels of carbon monoxide ride and increase the chance of low birth weight ( American...
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...Running head: Smoking in pregnancy and offspring drug use Abstract This study was examined on how being exposed to cigarette smoking while pregnant is associated to drug use in adolescents. The researchers also examine if externalizing behavior mediates this relationship, while controlling for a number of potential covariates of this mediation process. Keyword’s addiction , adolescence Running head: Smoking in pregnancy and offspring drug use Maternal cigarette smoking predicts drug use in adolescents. Prenatal exposure to maternal smoking seems to link with adolescents experimenting with drugs, both directly and indirectly due to their behavior and the amount of adolescents that were reported to be using drugs. It is a known fact that over a billion people are negatively affected by the addiction to tobacco. The effects are evident in the first hand smokers and PEMCS as supported by the studies. Does cigarette smoking during pregnancy predicts drug use in adolescents? Yes because nicotine can affect the offspring brain, research has shown that along with the modification of the infant brain due to early exposure to nicotine, that makes them susceptible to addictive behavioral patterns, they are other contributing factors that lead to drug usage, such as living in a home that were disrupted by divorce and mental illness, and those who grew up in homes where drugs and alcohol were at play they are more likely to become abusers when they grow...
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...Pregnant Mothers Who Use Drugs During Pregnancy: Should They Be Prosecuted? English Composition I June 3, 2012 What are the long-term effects on children who were drug exposed in utero? Are criminal charges for child abuse the best solution for pregnant mothers who use illicit drugs during pregnancy? This is a question that has become a hot topic and cause for controversy among the medical community, legal community, and society in general over the last 20 years. For example, South Carolina has defended their actions in the criminal convictions of women charged with child abuse for using drugs, such as crack cocaine, during pregnancy, while states like Wisconsin and South Dakota have taken less drastic measures. Almost all states agree that some sort of action needs to be taken to protect unborn children, but what those actions should be are widely varied and debated. Although personal feelings and emotions often lead us to immediately draw one conclusion; thorough research and doing what is best for women, children and their families are a strong argument for looking at other alternatives to this problem. South Carolina has long been at the forefront of the movement to criminalize prenatal substance abuse, using a broad range of laws to enforce a policy that began at one or two hospitals in the state and, over time, has expanded to a statewide initiative [Contemporary Women’s Issues] 1998. However, states such as Wisconsin are wrestling with when the criminal...
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...Research Project The number of women who are suffering from alcohol or drug addiction while they are pregnant or once they have given birth, is growing more and more every day. Addiction during pregnancy can have a negative impact on the health of the mother and her unborn child. The baby could suffer from different types of abnormalities and defects. The mother, on the other hand, may suffer from high blood pressure, sexually transmitted diseases, premature labor, and skin infection along with many other problems. Addiction during pregnancy is a serious problem, and these women who are suffering from drug or alcohol addiction should seek help immediately. According to Social Work Today, an individualized program and flexibility are among the top recommendations for treating pregnant or postpartum women addicted to alcohol or other drugs. Different facilities offer different programs and a different length of treatment depending on the woman’s needs. Education and life skills are taught in all of the programs for pregnant or postpartum women with addictions. For example, they learn to cook, clean, and how to manage their household. At Gratitude House facility, they teach parenting classes and instruct patients on how to care for their baby. Individual therapy is required once a week as well as group therapy sessions and other group activities. Peer support is essential to women with addictions while pregnant or after giving birth. Some women may experience guilt, remorse...
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...Social problems can be defined as an issue that relates to society’s perception of an individual’s personal life and their behaviour is considered to be out of the norm. Substance abuse has vast becoming an epidemic in today’s society and it is considered as a social problem. Substance abuse is one thing but to see pregnant women abusing these endangering substances is another issue. People use drugs for many different reasons but for a pregnant woman to use drugs she may be mentally ill or depressed. Substance abuse may not have a serious or long-lasting effect on you but the same is not always true for a foetus. Mothers that abuse substances give birth to "drug babies." These children have serious developmental problems. Researches show that using substances legal or illegal during pregnancy has a direct impact on the foetus, whether smoking, consumption of alcohol, or ingesting caffeine. If you use marijuana or cocaine, your foetus also feels the impact of these dangerous drugs. If you are addicted to heroin, you are risking the health of your unborn baby. The use of drugs during pregnancy also increases the chance of birth defects, premature babies, underweight babies, and stillborn births. Consumption of illegal substances is...
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...Thesis Statement: Drug addicted pregnant women are being treated as criminals instead of women who suffers from a disease of addiction. The underlying issues of drug addicted pregnant women have been overlooked by society for many years. Society believes that these women should be thrown in jail and treated as criminals. Despite the fact that drug addiction has now been declared as an official disease by the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Numerous studies have been made in regards to the dilemma that surrounds drug addicted pregnant women. The dilemma argues the point; do these women show any concern for their unborn child, or if their intent is to harm the child. Drug addiction by definition is a condition characterized by an overwhelming desire to continue taking a drug to which one has become habituated through repeated consumption because it produces a particular effect, usually an alteration of mental status. Addiction is usually accompanied by a compulsion to obtain the drug, a tendency to increase the dose, a psychological or physical dependence, and detrimental consequences for the individual and society (Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 2001). The underlying issues of drug addicted pregnant women have been examined by a number of authors who attempted to expose the truth behind why these women are reluctant to seek prenatal care. According to Carolyn S. Carter (2002), in her article she explored societal responses to prenatal drug abuse, including stigmatic...
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...The Truth about Marijuana Addiction Pamela D. McKoy Liberty University Online Abstract The commonness of abuse and addiction of marijuana has progressively grown among adults and youth worldwide. The use of marijuana is so mainstream that it has taken on a legit aura to the point that it is condoned and in many areas even legal. There have been numerous legal and social clashes over the legalization and medical use of marijuana. This paper will exam the prevalence, problems, and treatment of marijuana abuse and addiction. Also this paper will give the physical, mental and social effects that are endured from the use of marijuana. Keywords: marijuana, addiction, prevalence, treatment The Truth about Marijuana Addiction Marijuana, is the most frequently used illegal drug in the United States, it comes the Cannabis sativa plant where the leaves and flowers tops are processed into the street form of the drug. Marijuana’s condensed form is known as hashish. The central psychoactive elements in marijuana is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), it also contains over 400 other elements (Doweiko, 2015). Marijuana came to the United States with the 1920’s wave of Mexican immigrants and soon found a following in the underground jazz community. The federal government passed the Marijuana Tax Act in 1937 gaining control of the drug. It was then listed as a Schedule 1 drug in 1970 (Volkow N. M., 2014). Now in 2015 there is strong support for legalizing marijuana, in fact many of the candidates...
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...Drug Addiction is a Problem in Today’s Society Tony E. Harbour Research Writing/Com/220 April 3, 2011 Cheryl Drug addiction is one of the major problems in American society. Actually, almost every country faces such problems today. A lot of measures are taken to fight against drug abuse, and, definitely, some changes for the better are evident. However, this problem is not eliminated and, perhaps, will never be. Today, Americans are losing their jobs, families, and even their lives over the abuse. There are a lot of legal drugs that Americans are addicted to, but there are also a lot of Americans who are addicted to street drugs. Either way, drug abuse is drug abuse. Who does drug addiction affect? Drug addiction affects everyone from infants to adults. According to 2006 statistics from the Department of Health and Family Services concerning drug abuse there was an estimated twenty million Americans aged twelve or older who were current illicit drug users. These drugs included, but were not limited to marijuana, cocaine (including crack), heroin, hallucinogens, inhalants, or addictive prescription drugs. (Drug Addiction Support). (2006). Every day, you hear about people having babies who are addicted to crack as well as other drugs and most of us say to ourselves or other people “I’m glad that’s not me or anyone I know”, but what people fail to realize is that according to statistics, drug abuse and addiction cost Americans four hundred and eighty four billion...
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...woman becomes pregnant, it is very important for her to lead a healthy life to eat plenty of nourishing food, get plenty of rest, and exercise regularly. It is also vital that she avoid anything that might harm her or her baby-to-be. For a pregnant woman, drug abuse is doubly dangerous. According to (daily news, 2010) one hundred babies are born with drug withdrawal symptoms every month. Some drugs can directly impair prenatal development, most of the body organs and systems of the baby-to-be are formed within the first ten weeks or so of pregnancy during this stage. After about the tenth week, the fetus should grow rapidly in weight and size. At this stage, certain drugs may damage organs that are still developing, such as the eyes, as well as the nervous system. Continuing drug use also increases the risk of miscarriage and premature delivery. But the greatest danger drugs pose at this stage is their potential to interfere with normal growth “low-birth weight babies require special care and run a much higher risk of severe health problems or even death”. (Murphy, 1998) The cases of women who are charged and convicted of child abuse even before they are born reflect an interesting intersection between the conservative War on Drugs and the conservative effort to restrict reproductive freedoms. In the case of Whitner vs. South Carolina; the court found that the state’s statute includes a fetus within its definition of “child” and ruled that the “state was not violating Whitner’s Constitutional...
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...Abstract Substance abuse during pregnancy can cause many medical problems for the baby after birth. Tobacco, alcohol, and many other forms of illegal substances can cause medical concerns both during pregnancy and after birth to a baby exposed during pregnancy. Low birth weight, heart defects and premature birth are some of the common effects of substance abuse during pregnancy. The Effects of Substance Abuse on Unborn Babies In today's society, people are talking about babies being born addicted to drugs, and how a mother could harm her unborn child. Substance abuse during pregnancy can have devastating and lasting effects on unborn babies. Drug addiction is a very serious condition that requires more research. We are still learning the effects of substance abuse. Doctors and nurses should not judge these women, but should instead give them the best prenatal care that can be provided. We need to see what harm and side effects substance abuse has on the mother and baby so that we can be able to better understand how to treat the both of them during pregnancy and after birth. Tobacco is sometimes called the lessor of all evils, but “there are over four thousand chemicals” (Johnson, 2012), including nicotine and carbon monoxide. These are the two most dangerous chemicals. Smoking during pregnancy affects the mother and baby’s health before, during, and after the baby is born. The nicotine (the addictive substance in tobacco), carbon monoxide, and numerous other poisons...
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...research article is to discuss lower risk drugs such as Methadone and Buprenorphine given to Heroin addicted pregnant patients to create better neonatal and maternal outcomes. This research articles discusses the gold standard of treatment for better neonatal and maternal outcomes. Keywords: heroin, neonatal, maternal, outcomes, methadone, buprenorphine, gold standard treatment A Critique of the Research Article: Methadone/Buprenorphine and Better Maternal/ Perinatal Outcomes: A Meta-analysis Methadone is a synthetic opioid. It is used medically as an analgesic and a maintenance anti-addictive and reductive preparation for use by patients with opioid dependency. It was developed in Germany in 1937. Methadone was introduced into the United States in 1947 by Eli Lilly and Company. The principal effects of methadone maintenance are to relieve narcotic craving, suppress the abstinence syndrome, and block the euphoric effects associated with opiates. When used correctly, Methadone maintenance has been found to be medically safe and non-sedating. It is also indicated for pregnant women addicted to opiates. (doi:http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/methadone) The theoretical study was not discussed in the articles but Roy’s Model identifies the elements considered essential to adaptation and describes how the elements interact to produce adaptation and thus health. Methadone helps the pregnant opioid dependent individual adapt to a lower risk drug and produces an overall healthier maternal...
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...Home Medicine Diet & Fitness Family & Parenting Love & Relationships Mental Health Policy & Industry Viewpoint Drugs Updated Guidelines for Treating Babies Exposed to Drugs in the Womb By Maia Szalavitz | @maiasz | January 30, 2012 | 2 inShare.15 Jade Brookbank / Getty Images The question of how best to help babies who have been exposed to drugs in the womb — including prescription pain medications, antidepressants and illicit drugs like methamphetamine and cocaine — can be an emotionally charged issue. Bringing science to bear on the issue, the American Academy of Pediatrics has just updated its guidelines on treating these infants. The number of babies experiencing drug-related symptoms after birth has risen by 45% since 1995, according to data compiled by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The rise may be attributed in part to increased maternal drug misuse and addiction, as well as to greater legitimate use of medication to treat pain and depression. Further, more careful surveillance for symptoms associated with maternal drug use have turned up more affected babies. About 1% of pregnant women report recreational use of opioid painkillers like Oxycontin, according to the National Household Survey on Drug Use and Health, a number that has stayed constant since 2003. The new treatment guidelines, appearing on Monday in the journal Pediatrics, recommend that pregnant women addicted to prescription...
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...Essay The Cause and Effect of Drug Addiction What is drug addiction? Drug addiction refers to the obsessive and repeated use of dangerous amounts of drugs and the appearance of withdrawal symptoms when not using drugs.Many people do not understand why individuals become addicted to drugs or how drugs change the brain to become compulsive. Many people view drug abuse and addiction as strictly a social problem and may characterize those who take drugs as morally weak. One very common belief is that drug abusers should be able to just stop taking drugs if they are only willing to change their behavior. What people often underestimate is the complexity of drug addiction. Drug addiction is not just an addiction it is a disease that impacts the brain and because of that, stopping drug abuse is not simply a matter of willpower. Through scientific advances we now know much more about how exactly drugs work in the brain, and we also know that drug addiction can be successfully treated to help people stop abusing drugs and resume their productive lives. Addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use despite harmful consequences to the individual that is addicted and to those around them. Drug addiction is a brain disease because the abuse of drugs leads to changes in the structure and function of the brain. For this reason there are many causes of psychological and physical changes through the drug abuser as well. The psychological...
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...Infants with Intrauterine Drug Exposure Between 400,000 and 440,000. That is the number of estimated infants affected by prenatal alcohol or illicit drug exposure each year according to the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare. That is between ten and eleven percent of all births and frankly that number is way too high. Major maternal substances of abuse that affect newborns are amphetamines, opiates, cocaine, tobacco and alcohol. These substances can have severe adverse neonatal and long term effects. What is to blame for this extremely elevated statistic? Well, illicit drug use by a mother-to-be or even the use of legal substances such as alcohol or tobacco coincides with several other influences that can also impact a child’s life. Examples include lack of prenatal care, socioeconomic status, role of the father, support systems, and the caregiving ability of the mother, all of which play enormous roles in child development and maternal drug use. Almost all drugs of abuse follow a similar mechanism of action in the adult brain; this mechanism alters the pathways for reward by flooding the circuits with dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that exists in areas of the brain that power movement, motivation, emotion, and feelings of pleasure. The overstimulation of this system produces euphoric effects in response to the drugs. This reaction initiates the cycle that tells people to keep abusing drugs. As a person continues...
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...Born Addicted to Drugs Born Addicted to Drugs As prescription drug abuse increases, doctors face many challenges dealing with pregnant women giving birth to newborns addicted to opiates . While many people start out with narcotic pain killers prescribed by a doctor, they become habit-forming and can lead to a road of addiction and destruction in one’s lives. “These infants experience what's called neonatal abstinence syndrome as they undergo withdrawal from the addictive drugs their mothers took during pregnancy. Most often these are narcotic painkillers, such as oxycodone, morphine or hydrocodone, according to the report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” (Reinberg, 2015, p.1) Doctors could be somewhat unsure on exactly what to do, from sedating the newly born babies with withdrawal medications to any type of prescription medications, it brings a high risk to the life of the new born. Diagnosing the mother and infant with treatments provided by doctors will insure their survival and help them to live a healthy life. The problems that occur in a newborn who was exposed to addictive illegal or prescription drugs while in the mother’s womb, known as neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) include two major types of NAS: NAS due to prenatal or maternal use of substances that result in withdrawal symptoms in the newborn and postnatal NAS secondary to discontinuation of medications such as fentanyl or morphine used for pain therapy in the newborn. (Hamdan...
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