illegal or Legal?
LEGAL
Since a fetus can't represent or defend itself, some states opted for their own common laws to protect them:
Since a fetus can't represent or defend itself, some states opted for their own common laws to protect them:
- 2005, a visibly pregnant women in Wisconsin could be taken into police custody if seen drinking alcohol.
- 1990, if a pregnant woman drank alcohol or used drugs, knowing this could harm her baby, it was considered a misdemeanor for child abuse in Tennessee
Some women who believe they might face legal or custody issues during their pregnancy will, as a result, be less likely to embrace prenatal care. In this case, "women who might normally drink alcohol during pregnancy feel they are being judged by doctors or peers and are therefore more likely to keep their pregnancies under the radar"(Meyers, Meredith).