Revisiting the Fetal Assault Law in Tennessee: Implications and the Way Forward.
Policy Polit Nurs Pract
; 22(2): 93-104, 2021 May.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-33567969
ABSTRACT
The rising prevalence of opioid use disorder (OUD) among those living in the United States has demanded a collaborative response from health care and policy spheres. Addressing OUD among pregnant women is especially difficult, given the controversies surrounding the medical and ethical balance between meeting maternal versus fetal/newborn needs. Most medical organizations discourage the criminalization of drug use in pregnancy due to the adverse public health outcomes of such an approach. Despite this recommendation, many states continue to use punitive law to address drug use in pregnancy. In 2014, the Fetal Assault Law in Tennessee (TN) became the first law in the United States to directly allow women to be prosecuted for drug use in pregnancy. Since its expiration in 2016, this law has been re-introduced several times to the TN legislature in support of permanent implementation. This article outlines the impact of the initial Fetal Assault Law on maternal/newborn health in TN and provides alternative immediate, short-term, and long-term health policy strategies through which health care providers and legislators can better advocate for the well-being of both mothers with OUD and their infants.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Complicações na Gravidez
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Síndrome de Abstinência Neonatal
/
Transtornos Relacionados ao Uso de Opioides
Tipo de estudo:
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Female
/
Humans
/
Newborn
/
Pregnancy
País como assunto:
America do norte
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2021
Tipo de documento:
Article