FASD - Pregnant Drug/Alcohol Addict - Forcible Treatment

[Goober]

FASD - Pregnant Drug/Alcohol Addict - Forcible Treatment

Each year in Canada estimates are 9.1 births per 1000 babies are born with FASD.

Should the State have the right to forcibly treat women for their addiction. If not what is the solution

Some women may choose to abort - Would that be wrong for the State then to assist a women to have an abortion who is addicted to Drugs/Alcohol?

Some would say we the State are then forcing a women that is ill to have an abortion.

Then we have those that would call this a basic violation of a woman's right and the slippery slope argument comes into full play - Though I find that argument not to be relevant

Quoted from the article below -
While prison is not the best answer, other solutions are expensive, said Alberta Justice Minister Alison Redford.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) - Public Health Agency of Canada

CBC News - Edmonton - Prison not best answer for FASD: minister

Canada's justice ministers are meeting in Vancouver Wednesday to look for better ways of dealing with convicts with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

While prison is not the best answer, other solutions are expensive, said Alberta Justice Minister Alison Redford.

It's estimated as many as half of all prisoners have FASD. People born with FASD have difficulty learning new behaviours and controlling their impulses.

Alberta is using diversion programs that place criminals in the community, where they are monitored by social workers, Redford said. But more can be done, she said.

"One of the things that we need to do, I think, is have a really serious conversation about whether or not anything that's currently in the justice system or in the healthcare system is really addressing the unique challenges that people who have FASD are having to face on a daily basis."

Redford said she's looking forward to hearing Wednesday what the federal government has in mind.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2010/10/13/edmonton-fasd-prisoners-minister.html#ixzz12HclDtlQ

How many people have FAS in Canada?There is no comprehensive approach to diagnosing FAS in Canada – that is why there are only estimates of how many people actually have FAS. Health Canada is currently attempting to establish a standardized system of diagnosis across the country.The rate of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is estimated to be 1 to 3 per 1000 births.It is estimated that 1 to 3 babies per 1000 births is affected with FAS and that every day, one child with FAS is born in Canada.

 

[YukonJack]

My daughter was totally booze free while pregnant twice.

I have the most beautiful and smart grandchildren.

For the sake of the young ones (which is ultimately the future of the country) all steps must be taken to be on the side of the unborn and NOT the so-called civil rights of the potential mother and keep her away from alcohol.

Hopefully, when a lady gets pregnant she realizes that giving up booze for nine months is worth more than the possibility of looking after a sick child for eighteen years.

 

[karrie]

You're so full of it YukonJack. Your blatant lies never cease to amaze me. And I KNOW you're lying, for a fact, because both my mother-in-law AND my mother, have attested to the fact that THEY have the smartest most beautiful grandkids.

As for the original question posed.... who dictates what constitutes abuse of drugs or alcohol during pregnancy? There was a time when they called for no alcohol, now they think a little bit actually is beneficial to the babe. Is a drink enough to toss a mom in jail? Three a week? Five? Ten? Who decides? What does the stress of incarceration and withdrawal on a mom, do to a fetus? I find I can't answer a single question on this issue without a dozen others popping up, which leads me to believe it's probably too complicated to adequately, fairly, enforce.

 

[Goober]

My daughter was totally booze free while pregnant twice.

I have the most beautiful and smart grandchildren.

For the sake of the young ones (which is ultimately the future of the country) all steps must be taken to be on the side of the unborn and NOT the so-called civil rights of the potential mother and keep her away from alcohol.

Hopefully, when a lady gets pregnant she realizes that giving up booze for nine months is worth more than the possibility of looking after a sick child for eighteen years.

YJ -In the poll and in the post are various question as to addiction and is it or is it not a Mental Illness - Perhaps replying to those points would be appropriate.

 

[YukonJack]

You're so full of it YukonJack. Your blatant lies never cease to amaze me. And I KNOW you're lying, for a fact, because both my mother-in-law AND my mother, have attested to the fact that THEY have the smartest most beautiful grandkids.

As for the original question posed.... who dictates what constitutes abuse of drugs or alcohol during pregnancy? There was a time when they called for no alcohol, now they think a little bit actually is beneficial to the babe. Is a drink enough to toss a mom in jail? Three a week? Five? Ten? Who decides? What does the stress of incarceration and withdrawal on a mom, do to a fetus? I find I can't answer a single question on this issue without a dozen others popping up, which leads me to believe it's probably too complicated to adequately, fairly, enforce.

karrie, if nobody ever accuses me of lying for anything more serious than this topic, my post and your response to it, I will be a happy and conteded fellow for the rest of my life.

I know that I am a better person when I moderate my alcohol intake. I know what I see when I see my grand kids. I advocate no jail or forced enforcement of pregnant women to stay away from alcohol; if there ever was a theme where gentle persuation is needed this is it.

Yes, it is a complicated issue. but should not we - sorry, the future moms - err on the side of safety?

 

[karrie]

karrie, if nobody ever accuses me of lying for anything more serious than this topic, my post and your response to it, I will be a happy and conteded fellow for the rest of my life.

I know that I am a better person when I moderate my alcohol intake. I know what I see when I see my grand kids. I advocate no jail or forced enforcement of pregnant women to stay away from alcohol; if there ever was a theme where gentle persuation is needed this is it.

Yes, it is a complicated issue. but should not we - sorry, the future moms - err on the side of safety?

It's one of the many issues where nothing is as effective as education. Showing women why it matters, how it impacts a fetus, how that translates into a grown child, and that both they and their kids are better off for not drinking, is absolutely the way society ought to go. I just don't know that we can enforce much more than education.

I never drank more than 'near beer'. Turns out perhaps I should have since I was craving it despite not being a drinker at the time, but, I erred on the side of caution. All a mom can do is work with the information they have. we know what alcohol can do, we're not certain what lack of alcohol can do. So, I'd still go with none personally.

 

[Praxius]

If you start allowing the state to force people to do something for their or someone else's protection simply because they think they know best, then where does it end?

Shall the state lock up a pregnant woman because she rides a bike or jay-walked, or because she doesn't eat all her veggies at dinner time?

Just about everything under the sun can pose some form of risk/danger to an unborn fetus.... whether it actually does cause risk or danger is something else..... but as I see it, 9.1 births out of 1,000 isn't much of a concern.

 

[mentalfloss]

If it's already known that the child will be severely debilitated, then how much of a difference will treatment actually make? That aside, I would definitely recommend the option to choose an abortion if the mother wants it. Chances are that child will be a little too special.

 

[Praxius]

If it's already known that the child will be severely debilitated, then how much of a difference will treatment actually make?

Since it is not guaranteed to happen in every case and there are those who had alcohol while pregnant and their babies turned out just fine, you'd have a hard time trying to prove the justification of such action(s) for each individual situation, or the justification of removing one's already existing rights and the counter arguments of such actions being unconstitutional.

Plus the fact that there are already conflicting reports claiming the harm alcohol can do vs. the reports claiming there is no evidence of any harm done from alcohol..... you'll have a pretty good fight ahead of you in order to accomplish what you wish.

Alcohol Use and Pregnancy: An Important Canadian Public Health and Social Issue
Research Update - Alcohol Use and Pregnancy: An Important Canadian Public Health and Social Issue - Public Health Agency of Canada

"Evidence is emerging, but still inconclusive, on the amount of alcohol, if any, women can safely use during pregnancy without affecting the fetus. The amount, timingiv and frequencyv of alcohol intake are critical factors in determining risk for FASD; however, other factors, including the mother's age, health, other substances used and the genetic susceptibility of the mother and of the fetus also help to determine outcomes. Recent research suggests that more moderate levels of drinking during pregnancy, in comparison to patterns of drinking that produce high levels of blood alcohol content, may cause longterm cognitive impairments. In the absence of conclusive information, Health Canada and other authorities, including the US Department of Health and Human Services, recommend that women abstain from drinking alcohol during pregnancy."

^ So in a nut shell, there's not enough factual evidence to justify what you're proposing and the above suggests not to drink just to be on the safe side.

That's a good idea.... but in the end, that's not enough to force women into treatment or any other system to make them do what you want them to do.