should taking drugs,smoking,drinking during pregnancy be made illegal?

[Pendulous]

I mean, yeah, but how would you regulate and prove it?

[Dr Assbandit]

It's quite that simple when you're talking about illegal vs legal. If you believe in a woman's right to choose, and that it's her body, you dont get to tell her what to do with it. even when she's pregnant. If you believe that once she's pregnant it's no longer just her body, then any child endangerment arguments would be valid, and therefore making it a crime to smoke/drink/do drugs is also valid.

You're forgetting that pro choice is limited to early pregnancy. Only in very limited cases are abortions permitted in the 2nd or 3rd trimester.

[Eleccybubb]

Yes on smoking and drinking. Drugs is debatable since some pregnant women are prescribed controlled ones in certain situations. Drugs like Cocaine and Heroin though definitely not.

[monkmastaeq]

Naw we should just put down deformed premature babies

[artemishunter1]

No, it is not practical in so many ways and would almost certainly break human rights and laws designed around the mother. You have to keep in mind there are many lives and circumstances involved here (pre-birth mother, child, post-birth mother, father, guardians, benefit to society overall).

However, it should be reportable to social authorities directly, including by doctors and pharmacies, so they can keep an eye on everyone concerned. If there is a pattern of abuse, they'll have the tools and resources to deal with it - including locking up people if that will help - preferably before it becomes a problem and putting them in the system for the future.

I think people should be allowed to do whatever they want to their body. When the baby is born, however, they should be imprisoned for reckless endangerment, child abuse etc (Since, fetus is not a person until certain time). that way, both the society's interest, the child's interest and the mothers interest is kept. You can do whatever you want, but there is consequences of that.

- - - Updated - - -

Yes on smoking and drinking. Drugs is debatable since some pregnant women are prescribed controlled ones in certain situations. Drugs like Cocaine and Heroin though definitely not.

Doctors control it. Some drugs like cough syrup is discouraged when certain time has passed.

[Jinpachi]

You're forgetting that pro choice is limited to early pregnancy. Only in very limited cases are abortions permitted in the 2nd or 3rd trimester.

That's true. The more i think about it the less clear it becomes. Personally i dont think women should, but i also think its an issue for each individual state to sort out. The fed needs to stay out of it. I'm not sure how other countries handle this kind of thing, although im curious as to how they would.

[artemishunter1]

Illegal would be a tough sell, I would rather see more sensitization programs as clearly some of those parents don't realize the harm in what they are doing.

They genuinely know what they are doing. This behavior is only seen in First world White and black females. No third world mothers EVER do this. The first world mothers rely on "its their body, their right" rule. These people are educated and know what they are doing. Their RIGHT is above ALL else. This is why its best to avoid marrying females from the first world. Because as a Man, you have no right WHATSOEVER over the women's body and her decision. Thus, its not worthwhile to get married or even date women from the first world.
I am not saying this as contempt for the first world females but from reality and legality. Third world, females still are governed by their culture, which gives some rights to Men, even if it is not officially.

[Deleted]

I think people should be allowed to do whatever they want to their body. When the baby is born, however, they should be imprisoned for reckless endangerment, child abuse etc (Since, fetus is not a person until certain time). that way, both the society's interest, the child's interest and the mothers interest is kept. You can do whatever you want, but there is consequences of that.

You'd need a damn good system for that to be a viable solution (as well as selling the idea itself). Orphanages and caretaker families doesn't exactly have the best of reputations, and that is going to be reflected onto government not doing a proper job and a job not done properly tends to be meet with questioning of why it is absorbing tax money.

[Sunseeker]

How do you punish them? A fine? Jail? If your goal is to "protect the unborn", neither of those helps.

Only humans could have the equation so backwards. Mothers are valuable. They can make more babies. Babies are not valuable. They are weak and require substantial resources to turn into assets.

[Powerogue]

I certainly wouldn't mind. Slip it into the category of child abuse.

Technically not, considering abortion is legal. Maybe set the bar of fetus development where both become illegal to be the same for consistency sake even though the general rule of thumb for both is still "to be avoided when possible."

[Moggie]

Drugs, sure. Smoking cigs, no. Drinking, depends but guess sure. But, you venture into no no land with a side of grey to want to create laws governing what a female can and can't do with their bodies.

[Evil Midnight Bomber]

I think people should be allowed to do whatever they want to their body. When the baby is born, however, they should be imprisoned for reckless endangerment, child abuse etc (Since, fetus is not a person until certain time). that way, both the society's interest, the child's interest and the mothers interest is kept. You can do whatever you want, but there is consequences of that.

That doesn't make any sense. So you think that when a woman is pregnant she should be legally allowed to drink, do drugs, etc....but as soon as the baby is born...all those things retroactively become illegal and she should be arrested?

So, if she does all those things in heavy amounts and causes a miscarriage or a still birth, she's fine...but if she smokes one cigarette during her pregnancy and the baby lives...she's a criminal?

[spinner981]

You're forgetting that pro choice is limited to early pregnancy. Only in very limited cases are abortions permitted in the 2nd or 3rd trimester.

There really is no difference though to pro-choice advocates. They still argue that as long as it is in the mother's body that it is the mother's choice. Even if they do try to position the argument that they are somehow pro-life because they only kill late term babies sometimes.

[THE Bigzoman]

That would be quite the ban to enforce. Some women can go quite a long time, without their pregnancy being physically noticeable, so that is already a rather large hole in it, since several months of any of those substance can do quite a lot of harm. Then you have the notion of it being rather easy to get someone else to buy you either alcohol or cigarettes (not sure if drugs is meant to be illegal or prescription), which makes such a ban rather ineffective. Not to mention, what would the punishment be? Monetary, that would certainly have some negative side effects. Prison time, that one would basically leave the mother and child in an even worse situation no matter the child's health.

It would likely not really solve the problem, at best only spread it out into other areas.

Such a law would have to prove that they knowingly took drugs whilst being pregnant.

You're not doing anyone any favors by damaging a child--assuming you're planning on bringing it to the world.

Bodily autonomy isn't even the issue at that point unless they're willing to incur the costs of taking care of their damaged children alone.

[dextersmith]

I certainly wouldn't mind. Slip it into the category of child abuse.

It's not a child yet and going cold turkey could harm her.

[Revi]

the issue is simple, require drug tests at all pregnancy checkups for women, if they are tested positive on their first appt, they have 2 weeks to get clean for a followup. If they don't, or they test positive any time after that first appointment, it is time to lock the mothers to be in a facility to be monitored and after giving birth they get to go to jail. Don't mess with kids.

So women who take drugs, smoke or drink should be encouraged to avoid pregnancy checks? That doesn't sound like it'll help the kid.

[breadisfunny]

i would think it's pretty obvious at a certain point that your pregnant.

[Halyon]

I want to say yes, but selfish women put themselves before their child and I really don't care if their kid comes out autistic.
So long as my kid is fine.

If my baby's mother pulled that shit, I don't know what I'd do. It would be bad though, and I'd probably go to prison.

Autism happens w/o doing drugs and binging alcohol dude...


OT: Er, I don't know? Excessively doing these things can harm the fetus, yeah, but occasional light consumption doesn't do much, if anything at all...so no?
Nvm the practical crap stores and such would have to go through to make sure women aren't pregnant if they even buy these harmful things... Nvm intrusive as fuck.

[Draco-Onis]

You can't make it illegal any mother that does these things is most likely going to be a horrible mother, that's why any idiot can have a baby but it's something else to be a parent.

[Deleted]

Seems impossible to enforce to me. Most cases will involve smoking/drinking before knowing they are pregnant, and getting fined for that just feels wrong. "gz your pregnant, oh but you said you drink a glass of wine twice a week so pay up".
and the other bunch will mostly be people for who fines/mandatory education aren't going to be a deterrent and imprisoning them probably isn't the best for pregnancy either.