Medical
and
Public
Health
Organizations
Oppose
Criminalization
of
Pregnant
Addicts
4/10/98
Last November we reported that the South Carolina Supreme Court had upheld an 8-year prison sentence for a woman whose newborn child tested positive for cocaine from her cocaine use. This week, a coalition of physicians, health advocacy groups and drug treatment providers filed a "friend of the court" brief with the U.S. Supreme Court today opposing Whitner v State, a South Carolina Supreme Court decision which allows a woman to be criminally prosecuted for conduct during her pregnancy. According to Margaret W. Crawford, Board Chair of The Alliance for South Carolina's Children, "This case is about ensuring newborns a healthy future. South Carolina's Attorney General Charles Condon thinks jail will deter substance abuse. However, treatment centers are already reporting that far fewer women are seeking treatment and prenatal care due to this policy -- causing further harm to women, children and families." Daniel Abrahamson, Director of Legal Affairs for The Lindesmith Center, stated, "Mr. Condon has ignored the countless pleas of physicians and alcohol and drug treatment providers to treat, not prosecute, pregnant women suffering from chemical dependence. Now, the women and children most in need of help are suffering horribly as a result of Mr. Condon's misguided and draconian policies." Among the medical groups and public health organizations submitting the brief are the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Nurses Association and the American Medical Women's Association. For the full list of signatories, a fact sheet on the Whitner case, a fact sheet on cocaine and pregnancy, and selected news articles about the case, visit the Lindesmith Center's Office of Legal Affairs web site at http://www.lindesmith.org/about_tlc/legal.html.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
