Analysis Of Anthony Bradley's Article: Prosecuting Drug-Addicted Pregnant Women

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Bradley, Anthony (2011, May 25). Prosecuting drug-addicted pregnant women. World researcher. Retrieved from http://world.wng.org/2011/05/prosecuting_drug_addicted_pregnant_women Anthony Bradley’s article “Prosecuting drug-addicted pregnant women” states that an “unborn child is not a person, a drug using or addicted pregnant woman cannot be legally charged with child endangerment. Denying the personhood of an unborn baby has been the most effective way of protecting these women from prosecution.” Pregnant women should not be prosecuted if they are using drugs because the child is not legally a person. However I feel that I have to set myself away from my morals for a bit and look at the legal stand that we take on the fetus. Mr. Bradley even speaks on what will happen if the baby is separated from the mother if she is placed in jail. Bradley states that “it hasn’t been proven that putting women in jail and separating them from their children is necessarily better than other options such as government-funded, mandatory drug rehabilitation.” Bradley concludes this article by letting us

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know that it is not a better option to …show more content…

According to Brady and Ashley “Pregnant women with substance abuse issues faced many internal barriers to treatment. These include shame and fear of being judged by care providers, fear of being reported to social services and losing custody of children and public assistance resources, and co-morbid conditions such as depression and anxiety.If pregnant drug abusers know they will be punished for their actions, they will be less likely to search for help. Causing even greater complications in the fetus’s condition, instead of the mother seeking help to solve her addiction problem.” Just try to put yourself in the shoes of one of these

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