Should A Pregant Woman Be Punished For Heavy Drinking? (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome)

Discuss.

Alcohol is our friend. Always will be.

I am inclined to think there are things a women should refrain from while pregnant that can cause serious harm to an unborn child. And I mean, if she gave it alcohol after it was born she would get into serious trouble, so why not before it was born?

So long as the life of the fetus is dependent upon the will of the woman to accede to a parasitic relationship, it has no right to anything.

Technically I am talking about the point where it is considered an unborn child, not a fetus, so after the point of where an abortion can be carried out, at the point where a person can be jailed for manslaughter if they harm the women and cause the baby to die. Not a little mass of cells only weeks old, but rather at 6, 7,8 months, were it is legally seen as an unborn child that could even perhaps survive being born prematurely. At that point it does have "rights".

Really I think therefore it is legally bad if the child will be terribly harmed by these actions. One of the worst things is seeing a child born addicted to drugs. Not nice. While alcohol isn't always as damaging, the effects can be bad when the child is born.

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pregnant women shouldn't drink at all. and neither should smoke, nor use drugs

but it should be her own decision.
and how do you think this punishment would look like? 😑 she;ll pay fine? or be sentenced to prison? and what will she do there being pregnant?

Pregnant women do end up in prison as well. But perhaps it would be one of those dterrant things, rather then a punishment, as in if you chose to put you unborn childs health at risk, and in is born harmed by this, you would be punished.

The woman should be punished, however, if we like being free,and dont want to become a world where people make our decesions then a woman and the life that she is carrying is completly her responsibility. Wheather she chooses to be responsible or not should be her choice. Today, the children already have more power over the parents. Let's not give them rights before they are in this world. How about trusting nature and that life is both good and bad.

Ultimately though one of the costs of living in civilised nations is that we sacrifice a degree of freedom for security, order and so forth. Really I would like to trust parents, but from the moment a child is born there are rules governing what can and can't be done to them in order to protect them, not about giving them power, but insuring they aren't mistreated. Really I just find it odd how quick things can change. A women could be happily drinking, and nothing is legally wrong with that, but she gives birth two ours later. If she was to spike the babies formula with even the smallest, weakest amount of alcohol she could be considered a criminal.

Originally posted by Clovie
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pregnant women shouldn't drink at all. and neither should smoke, nor use drugs

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Alcohol, Cigarrettes, and drugs aren't important. The baby's health is much more important. Should she be punish for doing that? Nah! But she should get a fine. If it is proven she has abuse alcohol and drugs during pregnancy.

I really don't care

Hahahaha.

Astounding, truly.

Who are you to punish a woman for doing what SHE wants? Don't like it, fine. You haven't gotta deal with it.

People need to drop the delusions of grandure.

-AC

crap......i click yes....! Any way it shouldn't be up to the state government, court or whatever else to decide what a woman does....This country is becoming more communist everyday with every passing law....

"Who are you to punish a woman for doing what SHE wants?"

So if she is committing a crime we should let her do what she wants?

Is that an irresponsible remark? Let people do what they want as long as it doesn't affect me personally? What's the point of having laws then?

Where I'm from is advised that drinking and smoking harms the foetus. It's not a law as FAR as I know.

It's advised because there can be no law against it. It's choice.

I'm not talking about erasing laws, just saying that on this matter, you are in no position to say what she can and can't do. It's not your body.

-AC

I think it's a shitty thing for her to drink excessively if she plans on having the baby and knows the risks of what she is doing. As far as punishing her goes... that's taking it too far.

Well that depends...Is the general welfare of the child more important than the personal desires of the woman. Is heavy drinking during pregnancy equivalent to child abuse since the child is doomed to a life of suffering?

Just fuel for the debate.

I don't think it should be illegal because everyone should have the right to drink or not drink regardless of whether they have a child.

Personally, I'm completely against the idea of a pregnant woman drinking while she is carrying the child, but I don't think it should be illegal.

My neighbor across the street is a heavy alcoholic and she drank during her pregnancies. Both of her kids get picked up from school on the short yellow bus. One has leg braces, the other is in a wheel chair that is controlled by moving his head. If you doubt that drinking could affect the birth of your children....meet this woman and I guarentee she will change your mind.

Originally posted by Linkalicious

My neighbor across the street is a heavy alcoholic and she drank during her pregnancies. Both of her kids get picked up from school on the short yellow bus. One has leg braces, the other is in a wheel chair that is controlled by moving his head. If you doubt that drinking could affect the birth of your children....meet this woman and I guarentee she will change your mind.

Very good example. But is the mother criminally at fault? Because of her drinking, her children are suffering.

No, she's not criminally at fault, but maybe she should be...

In fact, the reason why she has been sober for 2 months is because she was drunk, with her children in the car, when she got into an accident.

Cops came to the scene....Boom...nailed her with endangering her children. Put herself in rehab, and now she only invites my mom over to "have a smoke" instead of the "casual drink"