Should the consumption of alcohol and/or drugs during pregnancy become a crime?

[Stefan_Dusan]

I don't believe in laws. Let the family deal with it not the government.

[alb0zfinest]

Yes. Punishment: Death by firing squad.

In a very sick way, this comment is kind of funny.

[Callum]

Other opinions?

No.

I'd prefer not to unyoke the government from the limits that are supposed to be imposed on it.

[Felix Volkbein]

Neuroscientific explanations of our behaviour and our lives have become increasingly popular, and this neuromolecular gaze has become our common vision of life, but whereas we now better understand the multitude of neurological mechanisms which make it very hard for substance dependent individuals to control their behaviour (not to mention the difference in inherent degrees of neurological inclination towards substance abuse to begin with), legislation has taken an opposite turn in general, heralding a more punitive approach.

Put short, while we become more and more aware of how we are defined by our brains, which caters for some removal of responsibility, we hold ourselves increasingly more responsible for our actions.

Now, let us for an example apply what we know to the issue of substance (ab)use in pregnant women - should it become a crime? Is it always a crime? Discuss.

A fairly educational and easy to digest video on drug addiction:

Spoiler!

Anyone irresponsible enough to consume alcohol or recreational drugs during pregnancy should probably just be sterilized to spare the rest of us their obviously hereditary stupidity. Whatever the difference between use and abuse, is it really that hard to abstain from alcohol and drugs for nine months? I've managed to do it without even being pregnant.

[Bloodnigger]

Anyone irresponsible enough to consume alcohol or recreational drugs during pregnancy should probably just be sterilized to spare the rest of us their obviously hereditary stupidity. Whatever the difference between use and abuse, is it really that hard to abstain from alcohol and drugs for nine months? I've managed to do it without even being pregnant.

This.

She's gonna be a largely ineffectual parent anyway, if not a detrimental one. We have enough fatherless sons leading the liberal movement, we do not need more people with added psychological baggage.

[Han Cholo]

It should be a crime on the basis it's proportioning an illegal substance to a minor (even if he's not born yet) and damage to his well-being. It does make sense. I'd like to think most women have enough common sense to not do anything that could harm their offspring and abstain without any law, though.

[Arcadefire]

Aligning law with human ethnics can be a bit tricky. While I am in no way saying that a woman should smoke or drink while she is pregnant, it should not be a crime or at the very least a punishable offence. In principle that is no different than blaming a woman's choice of clothing as the prime reason to why she got sexually harassed at the bar.

[Hadouken]

Is that an intuitive reaction? What is your motivation behind it? And does it hold regardless of the kind of drug, as well as type of alcoholic beverage?

What kind of punishment would you see fit?

Alcohol and drugs for sure

not sure about cigarettes ...that one is tricky

my motivation is that people get punished for being selfish and eventually harm a child ....even if it is their child they have no right to do it

and it hopefully hold them away from doing it

punishment should be jailtime

[Not a Cop]

Is that an intuitive reaction? What is your motivation behind it? And does it hold regardless of the kind of drug, as well as type of alcoholic beverage?

What kind of punishment would you see fit?

I think almost everyone would say yes intuitievly, but this law would be very hard to enforce due to several reasons.

First of all if we accept that consumption of drugs and alcohol is bad for fetus per se and should be punished, than we have a problem - child haven't even made a first breath, but is already worse than others, and now we gonna punish his parents, which would put him even in worst situation, so only solution i see is to make punishment with deferred sentence of 18 years, but than again people usually change very much in 18 years, so it would rather silly.

Secondly majority of wemen don't wake up with thought "WOW, I'M PREGANT" after they've been fertilized, it usually takes some time to understand it, so we either make it possible to excuse intoxication during pregnancy due to person not realizing this fact (which can last up to a couple months), or forbid all femen to intoxicate for a month atleast after they had sex.

So generally it's a good concept, but harldly can be brought to life.

P.S. Intoxication not only affects fetus during pregnancy, but also oocyte and sperm, for example in order to become a sperm donor you musn't drink or smoke for three months.

[TheBlondeSalad]

Who would the crime be against? A fetus is not legally a person

Either way, what good does it do to prosecute a pregnant woman for using drugs? And how does that help the baby? It is much better to educate the woman, get her in a rehab center, show her how to mother her child, and then both of them stand half a chance out in the world.