Pregnancy and addiction

If only male politicians could become pregnant. Then maybe some of the ideas they propose that clearly punish mothers would seem less appealing. The latest is legislation sponsored by Republican Jered Taylor that would criminalise addiction in pregnant women. The measure would make it a crime to endanger the welfare of a child by knowingly ingesting, injecting, consuming or inhaling a narcotic drug or controlled substance without a prescription while the ‘‘person’’ is pregnant. That means women.

Addiction is a disease. Untreated, it undercuts people’s ability to make good decisions, despite the inevitable adverse consequences. They need professional help from addiction specialists, not the punitive possibility of jail time.

That said, Taylor’s concern is valid. The national epidemic of opioid addiction is devastating. Babies are being born with medical complications because their mothers used drugs during pregnancy.

Recently released standards for treating pregnant and parenting women with Opioid Use Disorder criticises states that have passed such legislation, calling the laws a ‘‘critical barrier’’ that will decrease the likelihood that women receive appropriate treatment. Lawmakers should focus on funding recovery programmes and abandon efforts to treat pregnant women struggling with addiction like criminals.