Pregnant and Punished: How Our Drug Policies Hurt Women
April 21, 2016Co-authored by Farah Diaz-Tello
Throughout the world, pregnant women involved in illicit drugs as users, producers, or sellers are roundly vilified. They are viewed, as described by conservative Tennessee state legislator Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver (R-Lancaster), as the “worst of the worst.”
The sad truth is that pregnant women with drug problems are overwhelmingly likely to be criminalized rather than getting the help they need. At this week’s U.N. General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on the world drug problem, dozens of organizations worldwide are pushing global leaders to reconsider punitive drug policy in a declaration that explains how such laws hurt women and families.
In the eyes of the law and often the broader society, a woman’s pregnancy can compound any crime she may have committed. In countries as different as Russia and the United States, a pregnant woman charged with a drug offense may be harshly punished-and often treated more severely than a woman who is not pregnant. In addition, she is very likely to lose custody of any child born while she is incarcerated or undergoing legal proceedings.