Expectant ladies who gulp a glass of wine may get sneers from bystanders but nobody is going to write them up for breaking the law. But what if she was seen snorting a line or shooting up? What should the punishment be, if any? In South Carolina, a drug-taking mommy may go straight to the slammer. The state supreme court has prosecuted pregnant women for harming their unborn child with illegal substances. In an effort to avoid jail time, many pregnant ladies are heading to (self-imposed and otherwise) treatment centers to become clean, which is obviously a good result for the mother and babe. Time behind bars may teach the mom-to-be a lesson about laws but the treatment center may have the better end results.
Do you think drug abusing pregnant women should be prosecuted for endangering the life of their unborn child?
Hogan
Betty Jackson
Homebase
It would be hypocritical to try to protect the life of an unborn child when you can just go get an abortion. Talk about endangering the life of...
Either they have a right to life or they don't. We've said they don't, so this to act as if all of a sudden its awful to endanger them, awful enough to warrant breaking a law and jail time, is utter BS.
1Any person snorting a line or shooting up should be arrested, including pregnant women. I don't think they should be arrested for endangering the fetus, considering the fact that many people thing a glass of wine or taking some Tylenol will also endanger the fetus. I think they should be arrested for doing illegal drugs.
2hausfrau - disagree - you choose to keep the baby, then you choose to take care of that baby and allow it to be healthy - shooting drugs is NOT healthy and you shouldnt' have chosen to keep this innocent child in your care (especially in your WOMB where it doesn't have any other choice but to live the way you do) if you can't take care of it properly
3Skigurl, you are absolutely RIGHT. This is unspeakable. Never mind already illegal in and of itself, as mstrauss pointed out. Ridiculous.
4No. Pregnant women do not become wards of the state with all of their actions under scrutiny beyond that what is already illegal whether you're pregnant or not.
5I agree that "pregnant women do not become wards of the state with all of their actions under scrutiny beyond what is already illegal"! Yes, the mother chose to keep the pregnancy, but it is seen under the law that a fetus is not a person and not protected by law. Sure, arrest them and get them help like should be done with anyone else. It's a slippery slope if you start this because we will start seeing people in jail for having a drink or tylenol while pregnant. I was on heavy pain killers during 1 of my pregnancies because of appendicitis. Should I have been in jail? By extrnsion of this line of though, then yes.
6Shame on any mother-to-be that disregards the life growing inside of her; however, the fetus is not a person under the law so the punishment the mother-to-be receives should be the same as any other non-pregnant person.
7"the fetus is not a person under the law"
It is in certain respects. Are you familiar with Laci and Conner's law?
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