As you may know from reading the textbook, exposure to teratogens is often beyond a pregnant women’s control- or even her knowledge.
However, one controversial issue related to this is how to address substance and/or drug use by pregnant women.There are many factors to consider, but please first read the short article for some background on this matter. This author is focusing primarily on legal aspects in Canada. However, she raises issues about illicit drug use as well as substances that may be legal- but have some adverse effects on the baby .
Questions
1. How should the issue of illicit drug use and pregnancy be handled? Is there any reason to consider legal sanctions? What other methods can be used to reduce risks of such teratogenic harm to a developing child? What factors should be taken into account?
2. Consider also the use of legal substances and pregnancy (smoking, drinking, taking aspirin or other medications without medical advice). How might these issues be addressed?
3. When considering both these matters, should drug testing be mandated? If so, for which drugs? Should women who are found to be using illicit drugs be prosecuted? or what? What is the ethical position here?
The textbook points out that there are many issues to consider when pondering legal or social sanctions as far as drug use and pregnancy. For example, according to those authors, drugs that pass through the placenta cannot always be detected in the newborn. On the other hand, some substances pass through the baby so quickly that drug testing would be meaningless unless completed right after birth.
4.What kinds of programs, sanctions or guidelines might you want to see in place to minimize harm to developing babies?
As noted, in the past, this has been a “hot button” issue. Please read the article and formulate a position about this, using evidence from your book, from the attached reading and/or any suitable research you wish to cite. Again, please show respect to those you may disagree with – you may provide evidence to counter an argument, but do so politely please!