There are tons upon tons of babies born every day. Among those babies there is bound to be some suffering from birth defects. Things such as severe genetic abnormalities or exposure to environmental toxins. These things can come from parents abusing drugs or alcohol while pregnant. The people involved need to take more responsibility to make sure these things don’t happen during pregnancy. As it stands though these things do happen. When they happen people have to make the choice if they will keep or abort the baby due to these genetic abnormalities or problems because of environmental toxins.
Now the act of abortion is a big talking point in the world. Some people are for it and some people are against it. It is very irresponsible
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Dr. Mercola (2014) stated that in a survey of over 2,500 obstetricians 78 percent said they could reduce the risk of exposure to environmental toxins by consoling their patients. Dr. Mercola (2014) also noted that 50 percent of these doctors rarely take an environmental health history and less than 20 percent said they routinely ask about environmental exposures common to pregnant women. These numbers indicate to me that the doctors also have to take more of a responsivity of asking and preparing women for dealing with these toxins and risks it can have on the baby. We have to come together as citizens and doctors to do our best to limit birth defects especially birth defects by way of exposure to these toxins. This seems to be an issue a lot of doctors and patients don’t put a ton of spotlight on. Dr. Mercola (2014) also noted that the lead author of this research Naomi Stotland said “Providers were saying, if I bring this up with patients… it’s going to raise anxiety and questions that I don’t know how to deal with… There’s a sense that, yes, these things may be harmful, but I don’t how to tell her how to reduce the risk. “Reading this quote I was a bit in awe that for all the schooling that doctors go through they don’t how to deal with this important subject. More research needs to go into this so doctors can be more educated on how to deal with this so they …show more content…
When I read that I was astonished and disappointed that we could be so unsafe about potentially harmful chemicals LeBlanc (2010) went on to give a reason. That reason being that the Environmental Protection Agency can only require after there is proof that a substance poses a health risk under the Toxic Substance Control Act of 1976. LeBlanc (2010) goes on and states that this is the only major environmental regulation that has not been updated and that only five chemicals have been regulated since the law enacted. This act is insane to me and I can’t believe it was ever passed. It seems pretty obvious to me that we should test chemicals for safety before we put them on the market. We should do this for a number of reasons. One of the more important being the health of pregnant women and their
Anderson brings up point after point to support his opinion on pro-choice abortion. Anderson writes about how the government should have no say in a woman’s decision to abort even if she is past the first trimester: “Pregnancy and motherhood affect every aspect of a woman’s life - public and private, emotional and physical - and Roe v. Wade confirmed that it was an invasion of privacy for the government to step in and make reproductive decisions on a woman’s behalf” (Anderson, 2015). Anderson explains how he believes a woman who decides to have an abortion does it because it will negatively affect their life in a way that will be changed forever. The article goes on to explain some reasons why women choose to have abortions. To back up his
In order to fully understand how certain drugs’ cause birth defects it is important to understand how environmental factors affect a developing fetus. When a baby is in the fetal period of development a placenta surrounds the fetus, providing nourishment and also protecting the fetus from harmful substances. This permeable barrier allows for some substances to enter based on a molecule's size, charge and solubility, it is also important to understand that a normal dose of medication for an adult does not affect a fetus in a similar way. Gideon Koren shares many factors that illustrate how and why a drug would affect a fetus more powerfully “…Second, the fetus’s detoxification and immune systems are still immature, unable to clear drugs and other chemicals from its system as effectively as the body of an adult. And third, the fetus is developing so rapidly that even a small disruption induced by a chemical can have far-reaching effects.” These factors help prescribers understand how medications can affect a
Twenty-one percent of all U.S. pregnancies end in abortion (“Induced ABortion in the United States). Abortion is murdering defenseless babies who would‘ve otherwise had a happy life with a couple that is unable to have their own child. Is killing an innocent person ever moral?
Pregnant women have to be careful while pregnant. They have to watch out for various speed bumps. There are tons of toxins that can hurt the baby in the womb. The mother is responsible for most of these, after all she is the one who is carrying the baby. Many of these factors can result in death. It is really sad that it has to end that way some of the time. The worst toxins for a baby to encounter while in the mother’s uterus are different types of drugs and alcohol. Those two things can could serious problems for the infant once it gets into their system. They enter into the baby’s bloodstream from the mother, and cause problems from there on out.
Abortion has so many different view points on the topic, some positive some negative. Roe verse Wade played a huge part in the decision making process on abortion. Everyone has their own opinions about abortion but the opinion concerning when life begins had a significant effect on a person’s views concerning whether they are for or against abortion. The studies of long term effects from abortion on women are traumatic and devastating. They can include mental, physical, and emotional problems after an abortion.
In conclusion, the harmful effects of medications, alcohol and illicit drugs can be very dangerous to the health and development of a fetus during pregnancy. It is important to educate new mothers on the adverse effects that are associated with the use of these substances. With the right counselling and information provided, we can continue to keep newborns safe in the womb and be able to give them a chance at a healthy and painless future.
We are exposed to many harmful substances in our daily lives. Some of these substances are especially harmful for a developing zygote, embryo, or fetus. When a woman makes the decision to become pregnant, or if she finds herself pregnant, she can also make some decisions of what kind of precautions she will make during her pregnancy. While some substances such as pollution are mostly unavoidable for pregnant women in today’s society, other harmful substances can be easily avoided to ensure the proper healthy development of her unborn child.
A growing issue that continues to go on today is the drug and alcohol abuse by pregnant women. This has become a growing issue due to the fact that pregnancy is starting at a much younger age. Women tend to become pregnant around the age of 15 to 44 (“Birth Data”). In young women among the ages of 18 to 24, the alcohol and tobacco rates were 25.5 percent and 15.5 percent, respectively (Chen). As of 2001, about 12 percent of all pregnant women admitted to consuming alcohol during their pregnancy (Burd). Out of the 4 million or so births in the United States, 64,000 have had high levels of exposure to alcohol while pregnant (Burd). Similarly, teenagers and those in their early adulthood are getting exposed to all different types of drugs. Both of these facts are the leading causes to the increase of drug and alcohol abuse by pregnant women. Another rising issue that is still going on up to this day is whether or not abortion should be legal. Due to the fact that in some states, having an abortion is considered murder; drug and alcohol abuse during pregnancy should be dealt with in a similar way. Drug and alcohol use not only makes an impact on the life of the mother but also puts the unborn baby in risk of danger. Drug and alcohol abuse during pregnancy has many adverse long term effects on a child and should be punished as a crime.
When a woman becomes pregnant, she is immediately known as a mother. The fetus being carried is dependent on his/her mother’s actions, behaviors and what she consumes into her body. The mother must be careful to not expose herself and her fetus to any dangers, for example, teratogens are a huge concern for her fetus to be exposed to. The two teratogens I believe to be fatal for a fetus to be exposed to are nicotine and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). Smoking and drinking while pregnant can cause many harmful affects and put the fetus’s health and safety in danger.
Unborn babies can be placed at risk due to the behaviour of the mother, such as, maternal substance misuse. They can also be deemed at risk due to the circumstances in which the mother is living, for
As many future mothers would do anything to protect their children and keep them safe, some continue to put their life first. Not every woman believes in precautions for their children. For example, smoking during pregnancy must stop due to harmful effects on the fetus’s development. Someone who puts their child at health risks should not be able to support the child in any circumstance. Children should not undergo any type of toxic chemical involvement throughout their early stage life. Future mother’s knowingly smoke cigarettes or other smoke choices while being pregnant. The horrific affects smoking has on the child’s development and learning skills will change their life forever all because of one thing that could have been prevented. Smoking during pregnancy has extreme effects on children and should become illegal.
There are many factors in which parents need to take into consideration before and after your baby is born that can affect their health. There are certain precautions every parent must take in order to keeping their child healthy. The first years of a child’s life (including in the womb) is very crucial to the child’s physical, mental, emotional, and social growth. Some of the resulting defects a child may have resulting from the irresponsibility of parents before and after the baby is born includes Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), The Effects of Smoking on a Developing Fetus and/or Baby, Shaken Baby Syndrome, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
Abortion is a voluminous topic today all around the world. Differing viewpoints on abortion are recognized in politics, religion, and throughout the general population. There is a small amount of people who are nonchalant on the subject. Women have abortions for many different reasons and according to certain groups these reasons are either justified or not. Everyone tends to have their own articulated opinion, and many vocalize tenaciously what they believe. Pro-life individuals along with religion are sanguine that abortion is ethically and morally erroneous. Whereas those who are pro-choice say that abortion is inconsequential and the mother’s choice is more important than the fetus. Reasons to not get an abortion include risks involved in receiving an abortion. In some cases death can occur. However, there are other alternatives to abortion. For example, raising the child and adoption.
The most critical times in development are when the fetus is in the womb of the mother. The fetus is at risk of harm from the things the mom consumes and is exposed to. Teratogens can especially do harm. They are defined as “an external agent that can cause damage or death during prenatal development.” (Siegler, DeLoache, Eisenberg, Saffran, & Leaper, 2014, p. 57) The consequences of a teratogen depends on when the unborn baby is exposed to it, how often they are in contact with the teratogen, and how susceptible one is to it. There are many known teratogens now, but determining one is difficult since you cannot expose them to fetuses because it would be unethical. For example, when thalidomide was given to women to help with morning sickness, people thought it was going to be safe because it was tested on lab animals and no effects were shown. It wasn't tested on any human fetuses, but since lab animals seemed to be fine it was assumed to be safe, however, babies were born with missing limbs. (Siegler, et al., 2014). Other known teratogens are certain prescribed drugs, pollutants, or a disease the mother has. They can all result in a birth defect and can affect the child’s future well being. Alcohol especially can have significant consequences when introduced during the
Focusing on the development of a fetus, there is a lot to acknowledge. The reproduction system is detailed and pregnancy can be compromised easily. As a female who may eventually want to reproduce, the topic of pregnancy is generally interesting. There is a vast amount of information based on pregnancy and fetal development, however I would like to focus on birth defects. Birth defects can arise from several factors such as genetics, teratogens, and prenatal infections.