title: Ethical and legal issues associated with substance abuse by pregnant and parenting women.
abstract: The many pressing medical, psychological, legal, and ethical problems associated with substance abuse by pregnant and parenting women present daunting challenges. One approach is to adopt a legal perspective where the rights of mothers, fetuses, and children are pitted against one another in courtrooms and state legislatures. Another approach is to embrace a public health perspective, characterized by treating pregnant and postpartum substance abusers, protecting at-risk fetuses and children, and strengthening broken families. Both ethical concepts and legal tenets must be considered to develop new paradigms designed to help at-risk mothers and children and to protect the rights claimed by all involved.
authors.affiliation: University of South Florida, Tampa 33620, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Garcia
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003415:Crime; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011295:Prenatal Care; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000534:rehabilitation