Fetal Abuse Essay

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Recommended: Using drugs during pregnancy can have an effect on an unborn child which can lead to some pregnancy complications like premature rupture of membranes, meconium-stained liquor and foetal distress, placental abruption and sudden infant death

Fetal Abuse

When I was a senior in high school one of my classmates was pregnant and abusing cocaine during her whole pregnancy. This upset me so greatly and it still does today when I think about it. I felt angry with the mother, concerned and scared for the child, and I also felt confused about exactly what consequences the mother would face if anyone ever found out. Chapter fourteen in our textbook covers "Fetal Abuse": The Case of Drug-Exposed Infants, so naturally I became very interested on the subject. One of the issues brought up is criminal court response and whether the use of illegal drugs during pregnancy should be prosecuted. This is a controversial issue in our society that is very important to me. Currently, no state has passed legislation that actually makes it a "crime" to abuse drugs while pregnant. "Instead, criminal prosecutions have been based on existing criminal laws, which were never designed or intended to govern prenatal conduct." (Sagatun, Edwards 1995)
One of the main controversies within this topic is the question of fetal …show more content…

(Chisholm 1998) Sniffing solvents causes mental retardation. Alcohol causes abnormally low weight, small length at birth, small head circumference, and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome causes growth deficiency, physical abnormalities, and central nervous system dysfunction. Marijuana causes increased crying, low birth weight/ small length, difficulty eating or sleeping, and spitting up between feedings. Heroin causes low birth weight, increased crying, and difficulty eating or sleeping. LSD causes behavior problems as the child ages and violent temper tantrums. Women who abuse drugs are more likely to be poor and have improper nutrition. They usually lack pre-natal care and are at risk for domestic violence. A lot of times they also abuse more then just one kind of

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