[Pregnant, addicted prostitutes: compulsory admission is sometimes necessary in the interests of the child].
Three drug-addicted prostitutes, who were 37, 27 and 25 weeks pregnant respectively, were admitted to a psychiatric department under court order. After the birth, the children were placed in foster families. The mothers withdrew from further treatment. In Rotterdam, The Netherlands, there is a city network made up of doctors and social workers; in the case of addicted pregnant prostitutes they advise the Child Protection Agency of the Ministry of Justice about the care of the child after its birth. The combination of heavy addiction and prostitution in a pregnancy without any prenatal care can be considered a psychiatric disorder. Consequently, an addicted woman can be compulsorily admitted because of the threat she forms to her unborn child. In these cases the mother's right to self-determination must be limited in the interest of the child.
Schneider
A J
AJ
Afd. Verloskunde en Vrouwenziekten, Erasmus Medisch Centrum, Postbus 2060, 3000 CB Rotterdam.
Raats
M E
ME
Blondeau
M J C E
MJ
Steegers
E A P
EA
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007229:Infant Welfare / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016743:Mental Competency; D009426:Netherlands; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000523:psychology; D011477:Sex Work / Q000523:psychology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D016312:Treatment Refusal