Drugs And Drug Behavior Discussion Questions Coursework Example

Drugs and Drug Behavior Discussion Questions
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Drugs and Drug Behavior Discussion Questions
Drinking alcohol during pregnancy should be made illegal for various reasons. First, a study conducted by Charness, Riley, and Sowell (2016) indicates that while light-to-moderate drinking does not cause any harm to regular persons, it has a significant impact on pregnant women. Second, the research further suggests that drinking alcohol is not safe at any level of pregnancy. Clinical studies, therefore, advocate for alcohol abstinence during pregnancy. Third, another research by DeVido, Bogunovic, and Weiss (2015) identifies the risks mothers pose to their unborn children when they indulge in alcohol consumption during pregnancy. For instance, they risk delaying the development of the child, causing prenatal-onset growth deficiency, and triggering cardiovascular and cognitive defects during development.
In 2016, CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recommended that women within the reproductive age, inclusive of the pregnant and those attempting to conceive, should avoid alcohol. This recommendation led to the attempt of numerous states to manage women’s behavior through law enforcement which caused criticism on violation of women’s rights as independent beings and reduced attention on men’s roles in unintended pregnancies (Seiler, 2016). Despite the shortcoming of the law, women acted more responsibly and gained more information regarding the negative impact of alcohol consumption during pregnancy.

It is the responsibility of law enforcers and health researchers to identify a way of implementing this policy in a non-punitive way to avoid discouraging offenders from seeking medical attention. Notably, punitive laws have the potential of putting pregnant women and their unborn children at risk since they may choose to terminate the pregnancy or fail to attend the prenatal clinic on a regular basis (Seiler, 2016). Thus, illegalizing alcohol consumption during pregnancy can yield positive results if only the law does not criminalize the act but offer corrective actions and appropriate medical care for alcohol-dependent women.

References
Charness, M. E., Riley, E. P., & Sowell, E. R. (2016). Drinking during pregnancy and the developing brain: is any amount safe?. Trends in cognitive sciences, 20(2), 80-82.
DeVido, J., Bogunovic, O., & Weiss, R. D. (2015). Alcohol use disorders in pregnancy. Harvard review of psychiatry, 23(2), 112.
Seiler, N. K. (2016). Alcohol and Pregnancy: CDC’s Health Advice and the Legal Rights of Pregnant Women. Public health reports, 131(4), 623-627.