Should Expectant Mother Be Tested for Drugs - Essay Example

Prenatal Drug Testing Prenatal Drug Testing Outline Specific purpose: To make the American citizens change their perception on Drug testing for the expectant mothers. Central idea: expectant mothers abuse hard drugs but avoid the testing since they are protected by the law. The drugs are harmful to the fetus. Introduction Drug testing is a clinical procedure of establishing the traces of harmful drugs in the human system. There is a dilemma in the USA; whether to perform this test on expectant mothers or respect their legislative privacy. A. Lend me your ears as I breakdown to you 1. The general meaning of drugs why 2. The illegal drugs (Transition: many of you now wonder why these women take drugs...) A. Reasons for taking drugs 1. Most women start taking drugs before pregnancy 2. Addiction is the main cause (Wood, 2014). (Transition: please lend me both of your ears as I table before you the drugs….) A. The drugs and their health effects 1. The major drugs are marijuana, cocaine and heroin 2. The adverse effects on the unborn fetus include still birth and low weight (Kintz, 2014). (Transition: at this juncture, I know many would like to have their expectant wives, sister, tested for drugs) A. Obstacles for drug testing 1. Amendment of the law protecting the privacy of expectant mothers 2. Tennessee, however, has strict regulations (Linda,2008) (Transition: Dear mothers, I urge you to bear with the regulations….) A. Benefits of drug testing 1. The baby will be given special care 2. The mother will be put under special treatment Conclusion I only speak as a messenger but the power to change the perception lies with the expectant mothers. Prenatal drug testing should be implemented. Ladies and gentlemen, today, all eyes across the world are glued onto the United States of America as it mark-times to make an ultimate decision on prenatal drug testing. Different conflicting ideologies have been created out of scientific and legislative arguments; the common man left to take the side of the best fit. Some people trying to protect the privacy of the expectant mothers while the pro-lifers fighting for the unborn babies. The nation splits into a huge rift as we sit back and watch. No one wants to handle this sensitive issue. Not even the sovereign government of the USA. I know if I posed the very question before you today, none of you would want to stand alone and speak his mind. Yet you have all opted to respect the fourth amendment rights of the expectant mother at the expense of the innocent fetus. Ladies and gentlemen, let me confirm my heartfelt sentiments by asking you this very question again: should the expectant mothers undergo drug testing? Kindly let me breakdown this complex of prenatal drug testing for you, honorable people of the United States. According to the famous scientist, Sannersted, drug can be defined as any substance that when taken in can change the normal functioning of the mind (1996). This general description cages even the medicine we take from the hospitals in the cocoon of drugs. However, I would like all of us to shift our attention from the medicinal drugs. That sounds creepy, isn’t it? Yes. Think of the hard drugs in the major streets of our beloved nation. If you thought cocaine and heroin are only meant for ‘bad guys’ then think again. These drugs have found their way into our homes. Through the small crevices on our walls they have slithered into the heads of our expectant mothers and wives. I know many of you now wonder, like I do, why a woman with sound mind should deliberately take such drugs when she knows very well that she is carrying a fresh brain inside her womb. Well, not all expectant mothers do this intentionally. A handful of them usually do not even know they are pregnant while abusing the drugs. Funny, isn’t it? Nonetheless, this lack of knowledge does not make the effects any different; drugs have the same severity on the expectant mothers. Let me solve the aforementioned mystery first: most people will take drugs for pleasure that comes in handy. Mr. Wood, from the College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists, attributes prenatal drug use to addiction (2014). Wood says that most of these mothers may have been using the drugs before they conceived their babies. After the conception, the addiction had already been deeply rooted in them. Bear in mind that most of these drugs are highly addictive. Please lend me both of your ears, brethren, as I table before you the main controversial drugs of all time and their adverse effects. Say cocaine, marijuana, heroin and speed. These drugs, other than having damning effects on the mother, harm the fetus and may terminate its life. Pascal Kintz, in his book Hair drug testing for mothers and babies, inserts that, “marijuana has the same effects as cigarette on the unborn baby” (2014). As the smoke reaches the baby through the placenta, all that we can expect is the still birth of the baby with very low weight. Besides these two eventualities, the harmful chemicals in the smoke will certainly cause a fatal injury to the fetus in the womb. Nicotine, arsenic and carbon monoxide, are the main baby-killers that reach it through the placenta. Nicotine, in particular, will limit the blood to your baby. And what is life without blood? The result is all clear; fetal death. The young angelic baby will have to various health complications throughout its life. You don’t want to have a child with behavioral problems, do you? Or do you want to have a child who would order you to buy him a handful of heroin because he had been addicted while in the womb? This is the challenge that awaits you, mothers and fathers, if you insist on the use of drugs while expecting a baby. Cocaine won’t even let you see your baby; miscarriage and placental abruption shall have taken the better part of it. That may not sound a big loss to you, did it? It is because I didn’t mention that the mother’s life is in danger too. Yes. Placental abruption will make the expectant mother bleed profusely, leading to the death of these two precious beings. Oh, I don’t want to be a widower soon. I must have my wife tested and treated before I lose my family to the venomous fangs for hard drugs. At this juncture, I know many of us here now want to have their wives, their sisters, their aunts and even themselves tested for drugs. I really feel for you my fellow brothers and sisters; because the situation is not ending soon. The Law has been a major obstacle in the way of prenatal drug testing. I know many of you remember the strict laws before the fourth amendment. Yes, the 1990s regulations that boosted the mandatory prenatal drug testing. The Child Welfare Organizations had firm roots to fight for the life of the unborn. However, more civilization arrived in the nation. People began to realize had more rights to explore. Women Rights Organizations began to form and defend the privacy of the expectant mothers. The state laws had to conform to these changes. A conflict had been created between the law and the Rights. As it stands at the moment, no particular stringent law has been enacted in USA to criminalize the use of drugs by an expectant mother. Various States have set varying degrees of drug testing regulations on expectant mothers. Some states like Minnesota only allow the testing of the drugs but not reporting the cases to the relevant authority. In such states, prenatal drug use has been thriving under the cover of the fourth amended law and women rights. Expectant mothers cannot be tested for drugs without their consent. Recently, we all read in the news how a law court in the state of California dropped the charges against an expectant mother who had been on illegal drugs. I must, however, praise the state of Tennessee for being the first among the many, to criminalize prenatal drug abuse and making the test a mandatory exercise. However, Human Rights writers, Linda and Lyttle have condemned such a move, terming it as unconstitutional (2008). Will you choose constitution over life? Dear mothers, I humbly urge you to bear with regulations of the prenatal drug testing and understand that it is all for your own good and, for the good of the baby too. I do respect your privacy, a lot. I also recognize that you have rights, just like the rest of us. Nonetheless, drug testing is very essential for you as expectant mother and should be part of your clinical examination. As I mentioned before, if these drugs persist in your body system, the outcome of such births is always unbearable. The testing is only to find such potential adversities and solve the complications as soon as they are diagnosed. The baby shall be given a special care at the hospital while the mother is also put under special treatment until she fully withdraws from the addiction. I speak with the voice of a messenger from the creator above, who wants everyone one of us to live a healthy long life. Let the laws of our nation tighten up in regulation of illegal drug use and prenatal drug testing. However, the power to turn this stone lies in the able hands of the expectant mothers. Rise up all you dear mothers! Take a step of faith. Come out in large numbers without shame and be the change you want to see in the world. Volunteer and test yourself for the hard drugs. Save the life of the innocent fetus; save your life too. Drug testing for the expectant mothers has to be implemented. Reference Ira, J. (1986).Drug Use in Pregnancy: Mother and Child. Springer Science & Business Media. Washington DC Kintz, P. (2014). Hair Drug Testing for Mothers and Babies. Goodreads. Ohio Linda, C. (2008). Pursuing the Perfect Mother: Why America’s Criminalization of Maternal Substance Abuse is Not the Answer. New York, NY: Pace University. Lyttle, T. (2006). Stop the Injustice: A Protest against the Unconstitutional Punishment of Pregnant Drug-Addicted Women. The New York University Journal of Legislation and Public Policy, 9(2). Sannersted, R. (1996). Drugs during Pregnancy. New York, NY: FDA. Stephen, W., & Robert, E. (2009). Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome and Associated Health Care Expenditures: Journal of the American Medical Association. American Medical Association. Wood, W. (2014). Food and Drug Pregnancy Categories. Boston: College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists. Zuckerman, B. (1991). Drug-Exposed Infants: Understanding the Medical Risk: The Future of Children, 1(1). Read More