Should pregnant addicts be eligible for criminal charges for damage done to the child?

If they know they're pregnant, and refuse to undergo detox, then they should be charged for endangerment. Sadly, I don't think most addicts would know that they're pregnant until it's too late.

~C
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There are a variety of different drugs and other substances a person can be addicted to; I myself am addicted quite heavily to caffiene, chocolate, sugar and movies...all habits I'd like to break before becoming pregnant, but who knows?

Some addicts I've known (and I've known quite a few, since I've had the privilage of working at domestic violence shelters and a teen pregnancy center,) clearly knew they where pregnant from the very beginning, others didn't know til quite late in their pregnancies-. How they then responded to the pregnancy varied a lot as well (just as it does amoung non addicts.) Some where elated to be pregnant and immediately worked hard to get clean, others didn't appear to care one bit about the baby (although, deep down inside, I'm sure they did) and kept using substances. I've seen babies born with all sorts of deformities and disabilites linked to drug and alcohol abuse...a very sad, tramatic thing for everyone involved. So I voted no although I'm not sure about that vote; I don't think criminal charges are the answer to solving this problem (rarely do criminal charges help an addict change behavior,) but more free and better consiling, more peer support, better communities and more access to the emotional unmet needs being met would probably solve these problems. Addictions mostly stem from loneliness and lack of self-worth, adding criminal charges to a person who already suffers from these things doesn't help anyone.

Much love,
Carrot