From NPR, “A small but pivotal group of Tennessee representatives voted Tuesday to discontinue one of the state’s most divisive criminal laws. Known as “fetal assault,” the measure empowered prosecutors to arrest women who abuse heroin or pain pills during pregnancy, if their babies were born dependent. A one-of-a-kind statute that criminalized drug use by pregnant women is now on … Read More
In TN, Giving Birth To A Drug-Dependent Baby Can Be A Crime
From NPR, “In the United States, a baby is born dependent on opiates every 30 minutes. In Tennessee, the rate is three times the national average. The drug withdrawal in newborns is called neonatal abstinence syndrome, or NAS, which can occur when women take opiates during their pregnancies. In the spring of 2014, Tennessee passed a controversial law that would … Read More
Should More Women Give Birth Outside The Hospital?
From NPR, “A recent recommendation from doctors in the United Kingdom raised eyebrows in the United States: The British National Health Service says healthy women with straightforward pregnancies are better off staying out of the hospital to deliver their babies. …Shah was asked by the New England Journal of Medicine to respond to the British recommendation. He compared birth outcomes … Read More
Limited Access To Obstetrics Care, Alabama as Unfortunate Case Study
From NPR, “Only 17 of 54 of Alabama’s rural counties have hospitals that offer obstetrics services. It’s one of the state’s greatest healthcare challenges. …Imagine you’re about nine months pregnant, and you start to fill those twinges – contractions – that indicate your baby’s on the way. As the contractions get stronger, you have to consider what to do. If … Read More