Lynn Paltrow, the executive director of National Advocates for Pregnant Women, has a great piece up on Alternet about laws that seek to punish pregnant women for...well, almost anything.
In Arkansas' recent special spring session, Hot Springs Rep. Bob Mathis followed up his successful proposal to make it illegal for someone to smoke in a car with children with a proposal to ban pregnant women from smoking. For those who subscribe to the view that pregnant women are vessels, treating them like cars makes perfect sense.No one disputes that smoking, drinking and using drugs raise serious health issues for everyone, including pregnant women and their future children. Addressing these health matters, however, through punitive prohibition measures does not work to protect the health of women or the babies they're carrying. Rather, focusing on pregnant women as dangerous people who require special control or punishment inevitably undermines maternal and fetal health. Such measures divert attention from pregnant women's lack of access to health services, and deters them from seeking what little help is available.
No joke. And I’m still convinced that it’s a slippery, pre-pregnant, slope.
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Geezus, does there have to be a LAW about EVERYTHING? I thought these guys stood for less government...?
Wow. Can we say "increased incentive for abortion?" Especially when withdrawl sets in.
Then, I suppose, they try to ban pregnant smokers from having abortions because they're "not in their right minds."
And you're not supposed to smoke on the Pill, either.
I believe this is what's known as "persecution."
It's a brilliant article... and scary as hell. I live in Europe and I realize how lucky we are compared to the situation of American women in many states. If these laws are passed, one thing will be sure: No pregnant woman will ever seek help for her addiction problem knowing she's at risk of being jailed for child torture or attempted murder. Hardly a valid solution to what is unarguably a major health problem. It is stupid, unethical and ultimately counter-productive to criminalize all addictive behaviour anyway, pregnant or not, what people need is help, not punishment... And I can't even begin to think about a society in which all pregnant women will be scrunitized in their every action. Hey, why not set up a national hotline: 911-spot-the-bad-mothers, so we could launch a good old witch hunt à la McCarthy? Who said black lists were out of fashion?
It's just a hop and a skip to all women being banned from smoking, since all women are "pre-pregnant." I wonder when the first woman will spend time in jail for not taking folic acid?
And if the GOP's are so flippin' worried about women smoking while they're pregnant, why is nothing said about the second-hand smoke they inhale from male smokers? Oh that's right...men are PEOPLE and women are just incubators. Whatever was I thinking?
Yes, good points there... That slope gets more and more slippery.
And here I thought The Handmaid's Tale was just a book. I suppose next they'll be making it illegal for women to have sugar or caffiene, require monthly gyno checkups for any woman of childbearing age.
See you all at the Rachel and Leah Center, ladies!