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Fetal Abuse

            
             Does a woman have the right to say how she will take care of her baby while she is pregnant? If yes, is there a limit to the amount of abuse she would be able to inflict on an unborn fetus? According to an article published by the Mother Jones Journal titled "Fetal Abuse" these questions were addressed. Fetal rights is the notion that unborn babies deserve the same legal protections as children. Between the late 1980's and early 1990's prosecutors in more than 30 states have charged pregnant women from child abuse to manslaughter. In almost all the cases, judges have thrown all cases due to the Supreme Court decision of Roe vs. Wade which established that a fetus is not a person in the eyes of the law. Seventeen states have enacted civil laws making it possible for authorities to take away the children of pregnant women who test positive for drugs. In 1997, South Carolina's Supreme Court stated that drug using pregnant women can be prosecuted criminally and sentenced to as much as 10 years in prison. Hospital officials from the Medical University of South Carolina have started a program of testing pregnant women for drug use, and turning their findings to the police. Later this year the Supreme Court will rule on whether that practice violated the women's Fourth Amendment right of protection against unreasonable searches. According to the national survey of pregnant woman, only a little over 1 percent used cocaine, while nearly 20 percent smoked cigarettes, which are linked to a large range of infant health problems, and alcohol which is the leading cause of preventable mental retardation in newborns. In some states there are an insufficient amount facilities to accommodate pregnant mothers who use drugs. New York City for instance, ran 31 drug abuse and child-care clinics from 1990 to 1995, but almost half of these clinics have since been shut down. So what should happen to these newborn children? Should the state take over responsibility or should the infant or newborn be given to the mother with certain restrictions?.


Essays Related to Fetal Abuse

1. Overview of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

... mother. During the third trimester, damage can be caused to the hippocampus, which plays a role in memory, learning, emotion, and encoding visual and auditory information ("What is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome?," 2013). Central nervous system dysfunction can include: microcephaly (small brain size), tremors, seizures, hyperactivity, fine motor skill difficulties, gross motor skill difficulties, attention deficits, ... become evident. "An individual with a typical clinical profile for FASD will evidence several risk factors for suicide (for example, impulsivity, a comorbid mood disorder, and su...

  • Word Count: 1679
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

2. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

... These birth defects are caused by maternal use of alcohol during pregnancy which are irreversible, yet preventable. According to The National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, "Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is the name given to a group of physical and mental birth defects that are the direct result of a woman's drinking ... It is estimated that between thirty and forty percent of all woman who drink heavily during pregnancy will have a child afflicted with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Fetal Alcohol Syndrome outranks Down's Syndrome in prevalence and is the leading case of mental retardation," a...

  • Word Count: 1292
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

... Syndrome This essay will consider information about fetal alcohol syndrome and it's deleterious effects on the unborn fetus and the repercussions that follow after birth and through life. In my opinion alcohol is responsible for the detrimental effects on the innocent, unwilling participants of alcohol abuse through their mother's inability to cope with life's hardships or the inability of ... world. Secondly, it will show how it affects the fetus when exposed to alcohol at all stages of life. Finally, it will show the statistics of fetal alcohol syndrome on youths. "Fetal alcohol synd...

  • Word Count: 1488
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

4. Substance Abuse During Pregnancy

... the leading cause of birth defects in the United States. Studies taken by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) have proven that over eighteen percent of women drink alcohol during their pregnancy. Birth defects caused by the intake of alcohol include fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), cleft lip, and other mental disabilities. The amount of damage a newborn can receive ... hand, causes problems leading to asthma. Finally, illegal substances such as marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamines, phencyclidine hyrochloride, and opiates can cause birth defects. Studies performed by the National Inst...

  • Word Count: 1016
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

5. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

... may be an increased manifestation of renal, urinary, hepatic, and immune disorders associated with FAS. (Rossett & Weiner, 1984). It is generally accepted in the medical community that the severity of fetal abnormalities seen in children with FAS is directly correlated with the amount and duration of the mothers drinking during pregnancy. For example the child of a woman who drank heavily during ... to whether there is the potential for a problem. An interesting tool that I came across was the T-Ace, which was developed to help health care workers identify pregnant women with alcohol ab...

  • Word Count: 1764
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

6. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

... into the world but do not use precaution in their dietary habits to prevent the destruction or inhibition of such a life. Most pregnant women continue on their drinking and drug abuse binge right throughout their pregnancy. They do not think ahead to the inexplicable damage that it could do to their fetus. What they do not know is that when a woman ... also are searching for genetic and biochemical characteristics associated with the susceptibility to FAS. "Human gestation is divided into two major periods: the embryonic period (up to 8 weeks) and the fetal period (from 8 weeks to deliv...

  • Word Count: 2348
  • Approx Pages: 9
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

7. History of Drug Abuse

... warning label on tobacco packaging gradually made people aware of the addictive nature of nicotine. By 1995, the Food and Drug Administration was considering its regulation. The recognition of fetal alcohol syndrome brought warning labels to alcohol products. The addictive nature of prescription drugs such as diazepam (Valium) became known, and caffeine came under examination as well. Drug ... In 1991 they joined other abused drugs as controlled substances. Nonetheless, a precursor steroid called androstenedione, which converts to testosterone in the body, is available in drugstores witho...

  • Word Count: 5106
  • Approx Pages: 20
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

8. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

... (an agent that causes birth defects) in the world. The word is derived from the Greek word tera, meaning monster (Little et al., 1991). The potentially negative consequence of alcohol abuse during pregnancy have been suspected since biblical times: "Behold, thou shalt conceive and bear a son and now drink no wine or strong drink! (Ryrie, 1994) In ancient Cartage and Sparta ... ). It was not until 1968 in France that a physician named Lamoine and his team first described in scientific terms a group of children affected by maternal alcohol abuse, which in 1973 was termed "Fetal Alcohol Syn...

  • Word Count: 2014
  • Approx Pages: 8
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

9. Fetal alcohol syndrome

... abnormalities, mental disabilities, and social and behavioral problems. Physical abnormalities are the most obvious effect of the alcohol on the fetus Skeletal deformities can be caused by bone malformation during fetal development, resulting in deformed ribs and sternum, or a curved spine. Sometimes the child has bent, fused, webbed, or missing fingers and toes. Facial deformities are one of the main ... to their innocence and lack of understanding appropriate relationships. Also, those with FAS are liable to be sexually promiscuous or engage in other risky behavior such as drug and a...

  • Word Count: 717
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

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