Should pregnant women be charged with child abuse if they use drugs or alcohol?

I've been assigned to get opions on this topic for a health debate in class and would like to hear peoples opinions.Should pregnant women be charged with child abuse if they use drugs or alcohol?Yes they should, but it seems hypocritical in a way. If a woman smokes crack while pregnant, its abuse. If she has an abortion and kills him/her, its called choice. So murder is OK because its not a baby until born, but smoking crack is bad because it is a living baby even in the womb?

Pro choice liberals are really confused sad people.Should pregnant women be charged with child abuse if they use drugs or alcohol?
i think that they should because they are setting their unborn baby that does not have a voice of its own up for problems drinking while pregnant can cause fetal alcohol syndrome and using drugs and also alcohol can cause a low birth weight which raises problems allon its own



anyway my short answer to ur question is yesShould pregnant women be charged with child abuse if they use drugs or alcohol?The current legislation works like this, if someone suspects you are using, they will simply test the baby when it is born, to see what illicit substances are in the baby. I think a women has a right to do what she want when she is pregnant (not a popular opinion but I believe the women should always come first, you can always have more children) but when that child is born, it should be tested (if their are suspicions) and then that women will reap what she has sown. Not a popular opinion, I'm sure to get loads of thumbs down but you asked for an opinion and this is mine. Any stronger opinions/legislation than this and I think it would cross the line on a women's Right to Privacy that we are privileged to have as Americans.
I think they should if they know there pregnant and continue to drink and do drugs or anything that they know is harmful to the baby- then that should be considered abuse or neglect something along those lines, why not? That baby is inside of them and they are responsible for the life of that child. So my opinion is YES women should be charged with child abuse if they use drugs and alcohol or either or during pregnancy. Its a crying shame. Why not men or anybody who knows a women is pregnant and attacks them or beats them up leading to the death of a fetus OR almost killing it gets a murder charge or attempted murder on them, so what is fair is fair.







EDIT- To the person who stated that there really isn't a baby yet while your pregnant- are you serious? How is there not a baby... once you have a heart beat going on in your stomach and you see that baby (usually most cases once you find out prior to 11 weeks of pregnancy) how is that not a human being? I mean the first 8 weeks are iffy due to the fact that you can't really see or hear a heart beat... but seriously I would love to know how you justify when your pregnant its not a baby.Should pregnant women be charged with child abuse if they use drugs or alcohol?Absolutely... If not "abuse" than for child endangerment.Should pregnant women be charged with child abuse if they use drugs or alcohol?
Definitely, provided they knew they were pregnant at the time they did whatever drugs and alcohol. They would get charged with child abuse if they fed drugs and alcohol to their baby after it is born, so I don't see why it should be different when the baby is in their uterus.
no they shouldn't because there really isn't a child yet and truthfully there already are going through being pregnant, why add a charge of child abuse?anyway, it doesn't seem to me like there is a large amount of pregnant women who drink or do drugs.Should pregnant women be charged with child abuse if they use drugs or alcohol?
yes they do deserve to get charged! It's should be the same as if they took a belt to their kid. What gives them the right to damage a child for the rest of it's life. If they are such drunks that they cannot even quit for 9 months so the kid can have a decent shot at life then they should not be able to get pregnant.
Yes! Oh my god yes! People should respect the fact that there's a baby growing inside them, and stop doing those things on their own. But, since people are selfish, and only care about their precious habits, there should be a law against it! I personally think it's con tempted murder. Because, now that people know of all the damages smoking, and drinking can do to an unborn child, doing those things in spite of that, should be against the law! It's ridiculous that they continue to risk their tiny baby's life over a cigarette or a glass of wine!