Regarding choice: What is to be done about pregnant drug users?

[Dark]

On the one hand, it is their body, but drugs, especially alcohol, are THE number one cause of mental retardation. Many lives are made to suffer.

Considering the number of abortion threads, I think this merits some debate.

[Pithlet]

1. For crying out loud

What does this have to do with a woman's right to choose? I must be confused.

[Dark]

2. Does she have the right to abuse drugs during her pregnancy?

Or not? And if not, how would you ensure that she doesn't?

[Pithlet]

3. Still don't know what this has to do with a woman's choice.

It seems to me that no one has the "right" to abuse drugs. I think that's pretty much illegal straight across the board. Besides, you didn't answer my question: what does this have to do with choice?

[Spider Jerusalem]

11. You know, it's a completely stupid law, though.

And it's actually pertinent to the choice discussion in one sense: Does one, or should one, have the right to control one's body, or not? Your view on the drug laws seems to indicate that you think the answer to that one is "no".

[Pithlet]

12. huh?

Was this meant to be for me?

[Spider Jerusalem]

13. Since I was RESPONDING to you, I think you can answer that yourself.

Quote: "It seems to me that no one has the 'right' to abuse drugs. I think that's pretty much illegal straight across the board."

Apparently you haven't quite followed that line of thinking to its logical conclusion.

[Pithlet]

14. Hello

I'm responding to someone who thinks drug abuse is somehow germane to the discussion of choice. I stated that drug abuse was illegal, in that response. I made no statement whether I agreed with it or not. Just stated a fact. Drugs are illegal. The sky is blue. Then, you came along. I'm still not sure what your reply to me means. Are you trying to argue with me about the legality of drugs? I'm confused. This is a thread about (I think) choice. Or something.

[Spider Jerusalem]

16. The issue is the same, at root.

Does one have control of one's own body, or not?

[Pithlet]

18. Well, sure.

If this were a thread about drug use. But, really, read the OP again. I think this is more about the status of a woman once she becomes pregnant. In other words, this isn't exactly about keeping rights as it is losing them. Take my word for it.

[Modem Butterfly]

7. Well, gee, they can drink all the alcohol they want...

They can also smoke cigarettes, drink coffee, and eat tuna, too.

[Warpy]

10. It's HER BODY

Not yours, not the state's not the church's.

My gawd, if you can't GET THAT, you can't get ANYTHING!!

[blondeatlast]

15. I've had insulin dependent diabetes all my life. Had I let my HBA1c

get over 7.5, what would you have had me do?

This is a VERY, VERY slippery slope, friend. No one knows that better than me.

Edit: possible results: spinal bifida, among others.

[Occulus]

5. distraction

just hide all the abortion threads; someone on another thread pointed out that the Bush* budget just got released.

Go into the Lounge and mock the distraction instead. :)

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. Are you sure about that?

I teach special ed and have never heard that drugs are the #1 cause of mental retardation. Or of birth defects. Where did you get this info?

The latest info I have says that the most prevalent type of mental retardation today is Fragile X, a HEREDITARY condition.

[AnnInLa]

6. Distraction thread

n/t

[Bunny]

8. You're wrong. Alcohol is the only known PREVENTABLE

cause of mental retardation. It's not THE number one cause of mental retardation. I'd love to know where you got that statistic.

On second thought, I don't really want to know...

[Pithlet]

9. Pregnant women should be

locked up and kept under observation for the full 9 months. After all, once a woman becomes pregnant, she's a vessel for the fetus inside, and nothing else, with no rights of her own. I thought that answer was obvious.

[DrWeird]

17. They should be given abortions.

God!

[Nikia]

19. Haven't a few women been arrested?

Their baby was born dead or had major health problems, they tested positive for some street drug, and were arrested. I heard that some doctors and hospitals regularly test pregnant women and these women risk having their babies taken away when they are born if they test positive.