My comments in red.
If a patient admits to drinking while pregnant, shall her doctor report this to authorities? Shall the hospital lock up the patient until she is handed in to police? Shall her newborn be taken away by child protective services?
If you were her health care provider, what would you do? Would you:
What are your thoughts ? Share your comments below.
1
In the USA, fifteen states consider substance abuse during pregnancy to be child abuse under civil child-abuse statutes, and three states consider it grounds for involuntary commitment to a mental health or substance abuse treatment facility. ("Can't say I disagree.")
2
Canada promotes alcohol-free pregnancy but has no law against consuming alcohol while pregnant. In 2005, Bill 43 (Sandy’s Law) came into effect in Ontario requiring warning signs where alcohol is served or sold. It is worth noting that in the Criminal Code of Canada "a fetus is not a person” and thus has no protective rights until delivered. ("Absolute ignorance and disregard of the fetus.")
3
In the UK, the Department of health warns that pregnant women “should avoid alcohol altogether, never more than 1 -2 units once or twice a week” ("There is no safe drink, Australian health authorities! Wake up.")
The argument is not whether a woman has the right to drink or use drugs while pregnant, but whether drug or alcohol use causes harm to the woman and her fetus. The question is: are we improving the health outcome of this pregnancy by enforcing laws? There is no evidence to support that. Based on the most recent evidence, we now know that placing a pregnant woman with substance abuse in jail or mental institution against their will is futile.
What do you think? Is alcohol use by pregnant women a form of child neglect that needs punishment or an addiction that needs medical attention? Do pregnant women with addictions need medical help or incarceration? What is safer for the fetus and pregnancy? Who decides how much alcohol during pregnancy is too much? (Health Canada says, "No drinks are safe.")
Medical literature is unclear on this issue. In August 2010, the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada (JOGC) published ”Alcohol use and Pregnancy Consensus Clinical Guidelines” that states:
In the light of these guidelines, shall alcohol drinking during pregnancy be a personal well-informed choice or shall it be the responsibility of our authoritarian governments to punish competent women who after adequate counseling still choose to drink during pregnancy? (I say "punish" - no drinks.)
If a patient admits to drinking while pregnant, shall her doctor report this to authorities? Shall the hospital lock up the patient until she is handed in to police? Shall her newborn be taken away by child protective services?
If you were her health care provider, what would you do? Would you:
- Admit her (involuntarily) to the hospital
- Call the police or child protective services/
social workers
- Admit her (involuntarily) to a mental health
facility
- Force her to undergo rehab
- Counsel her about risks and let her go?
What are your thoughts ? Share your comments below.
1
In the USA, fifteen states consider substance abuse during pregnancy to be child abuse under civil child-abuse statutes, and three states consider it grounds for involuntary commitment to a mental health or substance abuse treatment facility. ("Can't say I disagree.")
2
Canada promotes alcohol-free pregnancy but has no law against consuming alcohol while pregnant. In 2005, Bill 43 (Sandy’s Law) came into effect in Ontario requiring warning signs where alcohol is served or sold. It is worth noting that in the Criminal Code of Canada "a fetus is not a person” and thus has no protective rights until delivered. ("Absolute ignorance and disregard of the fetus.")
3
In the UK, the Department of health warns that pregnant women “should avoid alcohol altogether, never more than 1 -2 units once or twice a week” ("There is no safe drink, Australian health authorities! Wake up.")
The argument is not whether a woman has the right to drink or use drugs while pregnant, but whether drug or alcohol use causes harm to the woman and her fetus. The question is: are we improving the health outcome of this pregnancy by enforcing laws? There is no evidence to support that. Based on the most recent evidence, we now know that placing a pregnant woman with substance abuse in jail or mental institution against their will is futile.
What do you think? Is alcohol use by pregnant women a form of child neglect that needs punishment or an addiction that needs medical attention? Do pregnant women with addictions need medical help or incarceration? What is safer for the fetus and pregnancy? Who decides how much alcohol during pregnancy is too much? (Health Canada says, "No drinks are safe.")
Medical literature is unclear on this issue. In August 2010, the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada (JOGC) published ”Alcohol use and Pregnancy Consensus Clinical Guidelines” that states:
There is insufficient evidence
regarding fetal safety or harm at low levels of alcohol consumption in
pregnancy. There is insufficient evidence to define any threshold for low-level
drinking in pregnancy. ("Very dangerous thinking here. If in doubt, leave alcohol out" - no drinks.)
In the light of these guidelines, shall alcohol drinking during pregnancy be a personal well-informed choice or shall it be the responsibility of our authoritarian governments to punish competent women who after adequate counseling still choose to drink during pregnancy? (I say "punish" - no drinks.)
To heat up the
debate, a 2009 study from the UK found
that light drinking during pregnancy did not cause any harm in babies, on the
contrary, boys born to mothers who drank lightly during pregnancy were “better
behaved and score more highly in tests at the age of three” than the sons of
women who abstained. ("Crooked thinking - and where did they get the ridiculous result that boys do better with drinking moms? Best to let other country's do the studies. In fact, how about - no alcohol!")
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