...Fayne Davis Mary Beth Ray Psychology 220 15 April 2012 When Treatment Does Not Work Then Prosecute The phenomenon of substance abuse during pregnancy has fostered much controversy, specifically regarding treatment vs. punishment. Should the pregnant mother who engages in substance abuse be viewed as a criminal or as someone suffering from an illness requiring appropriate treatment? This diversity of dramatically different responses illustrates the failure to establish a uniform policy for the management of this problem. The issue of substance abuse is one that has negatively plagued society. The complexities surrounding addiction are not easily overcome. These complexities are even more defined in cases of substance abuse by pregnant women, including legal addictive substances such as nicotine and alcohol. This issue has been pushed to the forefront of the public consciousness over the course of the past 30 years. Murphy and Rosenbaum 1999, describe maternal prenatal substance abuse as “chronic use of alcohol and/or other drugs by pregnant women”. It is my belief that the use of tobacco, alcohol, and illegal drugs during pregnancy is still child endangerment .All these tetatogen’s can kill your baby or cause serious problems for them with the development of cognitive, physical, social, and emotional abilities. It is unfair to the child to have no control over what has caused them problems with development as a result of their mother’s teratogen...
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...Contents INTRODUCTION 1 EFFECTS OF THE DIFFERENT SUBSTANCES ON THE FETUS 2 Marijuana (also known as weed, pot or grass): 2 Cocaine: 2 Alcoholism 3 LAW AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE MOTHERS 4 THEORIES OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE 6 Biological Theories 6 Genetic Factors 6 Metabolic Imbalance 7 THEORECTICAL PERSPECTIVE 8 MANAGEMENT AND TREATMENT 10 SOLUTION TO PROBLEM 11 EXPECTED RESULTS/TIMEFRAME 12 CONCLUSION 13 REFERENCES 14 PICTURES ILLUSTRATING PREGNANT SUBSTANCE ABUSE WOMEN AND FETUS 15 INTRODUCTION Social problems exist at the door step of every community it has been in existence decades ago and still lives on today. 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...
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...DRUGS FOR THE UNBORN 2Imagine being the unborn fetus living inside a womb that is supposed to protect you, witha mother who is consuming illegal drugs which are harmful to you? You can’t speak, or tell her to stop. You can’t prevent her from consuming things that harm you because you are living inside of her womb, so her decisions are what affect you. A mother should not be allowed to use any form of illegal drugs while she is pregnant as this can cause severe problems for the child developing inside of her. Any woman, who consumes illegal drugs while pregnant, should be charged with child neglect and abuse; preventing the woman from being the mother to that child she doesn’t care for. A mother is supposed to protect her child, not harm...
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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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...(AAC, 2018). The factors that influence women in substance abuse treatment vary based on situation and context. Furthermore, substance abuse among women vary between sub-groups of women in the socioeconomic, cultural, and ethnic dimensions (Tiedje, 1998). Sociodemographic issues such as relationships, age, education, race, child protective service involvement, pregnancy, supportive therapies and comprehensive case management all affect the ability of women to have enough support in treatment (Greenfield, 2007). Disparities in populations are represents as location and use. African American women in their late 20s to early 30s from inner city populations demonstrate relevant cocaine use (Fox, 1994). Despite cocaine being considered to be a substance used by the wealthy and famous historically, it is currently used widely in the inner cities as a substance of...
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...Controversy: Women’s Right or Legalized Murder? Abortion is one of the most controversial debates of the century. Everyone knows someone who has been pregnant or debating having an abortion. There are plenty of reasons why women feel they need to terminate their pregnancy. The following information is for those who believe that abortion is the solution to their problem. Yes abortion is a legal solution to an unwanted pregnancy. Many pro-choice activists will argue the claim that it is a safe and relatively painless procedure. Abortions are morally and ethically wrong because they kill innocent unborn fetuses who have the right to life. During pregnancy, women give the unborn fetus the right to use their bodies. Abortion should be illegal because they defy the sanctity of human life, deny the mother the alternatives to having an abortion, and cause psychological side effects. Millions of people have died trying to defend their country, their freedom, and their families. Victims have been remembered through speeches and memorials, but why are those who seek justice for victims the same ones who defy the sanctity of human life and approve abortions. Let’s look in the Bible to see what is said about abortion. People can argue that it is unfair to quote the Bible on God’s view on abortion. Well, it is unfair because God is the creator of life. It is seen as a blessing to have children and a curse if you are childless. Abortion is an unthinkable act. The Bible verse Psalm...
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...Jack was born by caesarean section because they were concerns with the Zoe. Zoe was unwell – she had a heart valve problem. Jack was admitted to the intensive care unit, needing ventilation support for six hours 12pm * Safeguarding midwife aware that Jack been born, states that all people who needed to be aware of baby being born are. Informed us that her current partner and father of baby are not allowed to visit. Security, front desk at the main entrance of unit and nurses made aware * Urine virology/toxicology sent * Morphine started as Jack was Ventilated due to the respiratory distress 15pm * Out of hours social worker called inquiring about baby and mum 1630pm * Maternity support worker visited unit, updated on baby’s condition. Mum had her surgery – she will go and update mum 1830pm * Nurse looking after mum on ITU informed us on mum’s condition. Nurse informed us of name of mum’s current partner who is aware baby is born – nurse said he sounded concerned DAY 2 15pm * No signs of withdrawal DAY 3 14pm * Duty social worker given us the details of named social worker who is aware baby is born. Asked how long baby is expected to be an inpatient – informed likely 2 – 3 weeks possible...
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...John F. Kennedy University Summer 2014 Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Who Has The Rights? Who has the rights when an unborn child is involved, mother or child? Can an unborn child be protected from his/her mother? Fetal Alcohol Syndrome [FAS] raises these questions that so far, have not been addressed. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is considered to be the most serious consequence of a mother drinking alcohol during pregnancy and is considered the #1 cause of mental retardation in the United States, and it is one that is entirely preventable. FAS was first reported in France in 1968 and noticed/discussed in the United States by Jones and Smith in 1973. Jones and Smith would identify distinctive facial features in children who were exposed to alcohol during pregnancy. Some of these facial features are: short eyelid openings, flat midface, thin upper lip and a flat or smooth grove between nose and upper lip. The children can also show growth retardation and significant cognitive and/or behavioral problems/issues. In the United States, FAS/Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder [FASD] occurs in about 10 per 1,000 live births or 40,000 babies per year. FAS is a lifelong condition that is not curable and has serious lifelong consequences. Unfortunately, there is no known limit on the amount of alcohol a mother can safely consume, that will not cause damage to her unborn child and it is stated that alcohol causes more damage than illegal or legal drugs. So far it has been estimated that...
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...Teen substance abuse can cause many problems in a young person’s life. The tragedy can cause breaking up of families and relationships, health issues/overdoses, and unwanted pregnancies. But what happens if the teen is still abusing substances while carrying a child? Drugs and alcohol can have an unbelievable affect on an unborn child, and the more the mother is irresponsible about it, the worse it will be. It is important for nurses to know how to handle this situation, whether it is protecting the health of the pregnant teenage mother, or the health of the newborn baby with complications. This paper will address the many symptoms and malfunctions that can occur when a teenager continues to use alcohol and drugs, even while carrying their child. Scope Statement The first database that was used was Nursing and Allied Health, which provided most of the information that is used in this paper. Typing in “teenage substance abuse and pregnancy” came up with a lot of results, but putting the cut off limit at around 10 years definitely helped with decreasing that number. Also, looking to see if the article had the full PDF text online was helpful. Keywords that were looked for when scanning an article would be pregnancy, any kind of substance that was abused, and statistic or graphs included was an attention grabber. After finding the three main scholarly articles very easily on Nursing and Allied Health, the next browser that was used was Google. After typing in the main topic, which...
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...The factors that put women at risk for incarceration – homelessness, poverty, substance use, poor mental health, limited access to health care, and physical and sexual violence – also put them at high risk for poor health. Incarceration can make all of these risks worse for pregnant women. Most prisons in America do not limit the use of mechanical restraints on imprisoned pregnant women. This can include shackles or handcuffs around the ankles or wrists – sometimes with heavy chains around the stomach. Shackling has negative physical effect and mental health effects on mothers and infants. If shackling is used during labor, for example, it could limit a woman’s ability to move freely and cause her discomfort which can reduce blood flow to her unborn child. For example, restraining a pregnant woman can be very dangerous because if she falls forward, she will be unable to protect herself or her unborn child. Governing bodies have concluded that shackling pregnant women is a violation of their human rights. Restraints can also cause physical discomfort to a woman during the postpartum period. Restraints that cross the stomach, for example, can be particularly painful for a woman who delivered via Cesarean section. In Northern Ireland...
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... Every year more than 480,000 die in the United States from smoking and smoking-related deaths, often from cancer and heart diseases. (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) Heart disease is the biggest cause of deaths in the United States, and roughly 1 out of 5 deaths from heart disease is because of smoking. About 87 percent of lung cancer deaths are directly related with smoking. (Smoking and Heart Disease) Meanwhile, it is awfully dangerous for the pregnancy to smoke cigarettes, because smoking increases the risk of miscarriage. According to WebMD, the nicotine and numerous other poisons from a cigarette would go through bloodstream of the pregnant woman and go directly to the unborn baby. If the mother smokes too much every day, the baby could be stillborn or die...
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...Recently, it has been established that many young people in their teens and early adulthood smoke in an increasing trend. The most common form of smoking is through cigarettes(Brannon & Feist, 2010). However, there are other forms which include the use of bidis, hookas, pipes and shisha (Brannon & Feist, 2010). Tobacco products contain a stimulating substance called nicotine, which when inhaled or tasted leads to adverse health and other related consequences. It has been found out that smoking is an addictive activity which is hard to contain. Smoking normal cigarettes can be a foundation for more dangerous substances that include smoking weed and inhaling cocaine. Health institutions have come up with the possible effects of smoking both to passive and active smokers. Breathing problems, socioeconomic effects as well as chronic diseases like cancers are some of the dangerous outcomes of smoking. Several alternatives have been established to deal with the problem (Hyde & Setaro, 2006). Designation of smoking zones is one of the options that most nations globally have embraced with the aim of bringing down the negative effects associated with smoking. This paper seeks to establish the need for banning smoking in closed areas. This is in accordance with the fact that smoking has been a menace in the recent past especially to passive smokers (Owing, 2005). The paper also aims at identifying the possible impact of smoking and how restricting it will assist the government and...
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...SUBMITTED TO PROFESSOR RUSH THEO 330 – B02 CHRIS PORTER 29 Jun 2014 The abuse of alcohol is a problem in our society; a social disorder that causes physical and emotional injuries to people and family life. Alcohol is the oldest drug around. It is also the most widely-used and almost 50 percent of people aged 12 and over have consumed alcohol in the United States. Most people are able to consume alcohol responsibly. However, for one reason or another, some people abuse alcohol and develop addictions. Alcohol can destroy persons who depend on its effects to solve their problems. Not only does the use of alcohol create serious health disorders for those who drink heavily during their lifetime, but also causes serious health disorders in children whose mothers drank while pregnant. Individuals who drink alcohol are often responsible for injuring other innocent people. Each year in the United States, nearly 85,000 people die from alcohol-related causes, making it the third leading preventable cause of death in our country. (NIAAA) Many automobile accidents involve drunk drivers. People who drink endanger themselves and everyone around them. In addition, business and industry suffer financial loss because their employees drink. What might begin as casual drinking can become heavy drinking and alcoholism. Because the abuse of alcohol has a negative effect on men, women, and children, that same abuse on alcohol is a threat in our society. Although society cannot force...
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...Pregnant Woman Be Punished For Exposing Her Fetus To Risk” When a 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...
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...phrase Primum non nocere. When translated this historical phrase means, “first do no harm.” Today the healthcare industry offers various lines of service that intend on resolving an illness. One alarming trend that has prevailed through metro Atlanta and Chattanooga area is Pain Management Clinics. These clinics offer patients so called relief from pain and opioid dependency by providing a synthetic narcotic called Methadone. The profound side effects of this drug was noted by Christopher Jones when he proclaimed,” Although methadone accounted for only 2% of opioid prescriptions in 2009, it was involved in approximately 30% of overdose deaths” (667). Statistically this is an alarming rate of sentinel events considering this drug is administered to various...
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