A research on drug and alcohol abuse during pregnancy mandatory treatment is a must

If you share needles, you should be tested for HIV and hepatitis.

Substance Abuse Reporting and Pregnancy: The Role of the Obstetrician-Gynecologist

Reaffirmed Committee on Health Care for Underserved Women This information should not be construed as dictating an exclusive course of treatment or procedure to be followed. The Role of the Obstetrician-Gynecologist Abstract: Drug enforcement policies that deter women from seeking prenatal care are contrary to the welfare of the mother and fetus.

Incarceration and the threat of incarceration have proved to be ineffective in reducing the incidence of alcohol or drug abuse. Obstetrician—gynecologists should be aware of the reporting requirements related to alcohol and drug abuse within their states.

They are encouraged to work with state legislators to retract legislation that punishes women for substance abuse during pregnancy. A disturbing trend in legal actions and policies is the criminalization of substance abuse during pregnancy when it is believed to be associated with fetal harm or adverse perinatal outcomes.

Although no state specifically criminalizes drug abuse during pregnancy, prosecutors have relied on a host of established criminal laws to punish a woman for prenatal substance abuse 1. As of September 1,fifteen states consider substance abuse during pregnancy to be child abuse under civil child-welfare statutes, and three consider it grounds for involuntary commitment to a mental health or substance abuse treatment facility 1.

States vary in their requirements for the evidence of drug exposure to the fetus or newborn in order to report a case to the child welfare system. Examples of the differences include the following: Most states focus only on the abuse of some illegal drugs as cause for legal action.

Maternal Drug Abuse on Society

For instance, in Maryland, the use of drugs such as methamphetamines or marijuana may not be cause for reporting the pregnant woman to authorities 2. Some states also include evidence of alcohol use by a pregnant woman in their definitions of child neglect.

Although legal action against women who abuse drugs prenatally is taken with the intent to produce healthy birth outcomes, negative results are frequently cited.

Incarceration and the threat of incarceration have proved to be ineffective in reducing the incidence of alcohol or drug abuse 3—5. Legally mandated testing and reporting puts the therapeutic relationship between the obstetrician—gynecologist and the patient at risk, potentially placing the physician in an adversarial relationship with the patient 6, 7.

In one study, women who abused drugs did not trust health care providers to protect them from the social and legal consequences of identification and avoided or emotionally disengaged from prenatal care 8.

Studies indicate that prenatal care greatly reduces the negative effects of substance abuse during pregnancy, including decreased risks of low birth weight and prematurity 9.

Seeking obstetric—gynecologic care should not expose a woman to criminal or civil penalties, such as incarceration, involuntary commitment, loss of custody of her children, or loss of housing 6. These approaches treat addiction as a moral failing.

Addiction is a chronic, relapsing biological and behavioral disorder with genetic components. The disease of substance addiction is subject to medical and behavioral management in the same fashion as hypertension and diabetes. Substance abuse reporting during pregnancy may dissuade women from seeking prenatal care and may unjustly single out the most vulnerable, particularly women with low incomes and women of color Although the type of drug may differ, individuals from all races and socioeconomic strata have similar rates of substance abuse and addiction Pregnant women who do not receive treatment for drug dependence cannot be assumed to have rejected treatment The author also argues that the current methods used to deter women from abusing drugs and alcohol during pregnancy, for example voluntary treatment programs and education, have been ineffective.

In order for the education process to be effective, it must be improved. Using drugs, alcohol, or tobacco during pregnancy exposes not just the woman but also her developing fetus to the substance and can have potentially deleterious and .

These approaches should include the development of safe, affordable, available, efficacious, and comprehensive alcohol and drug treatment services for all women, especially pregnant women, and their families.

Resource. Guttmacher Institute. Substance abuse during pregnancy. State Policies in Brief. New York (NY): GI; Apr 20,  · The funds covered by this 33% include drug abuse treatment, drug abuse prevention, and prevention research and treatment research.

Approximately 10% is spent on research and approximately 1 1/2 times more is spent on drug abuse treatment than on drug abuse prevention.

Moderate amounts of alcohol use during pregnancy have been correlated with behavioral features such as distractibility, excitability, and disciplin- for mandatory substance abuse treatment because she was 8 months nant women who use or abuse drugs and alcohol through existing homicide, controlled substance, and child abuse statutes.

Apr 20,  · The funds covered by this 33% include drug abuse treatment, drug abuse prevention, and prevention research and treatment research. Approximately 10% is spent on research and approximately 1 1/2 times more is spent on drug abuse treatment than on drug abuse prevention.