Teratogens are drugs, chemicals, or even infections that can cause abnormal fetal development. There are billions of potential teratogens, but only a few agents are proven to have teratogenic effects. These effects can result in a baby being born with a birth defect. Approximately 4 to 5 percent of birth defects are caused by exposure to a teratogen.

Fetal and neon Total injury caused by maternal drug ingestion during pregnancy is rapidly becoming both a public health and criminal justice problem. There is widespread unanimity in the medical profession that using and abusing illicit drugs during pregnancy will likely result in a host of fetal and neonate complications, some of which are irreversible. The criminal justice system has yet to develop a workable strategy to deal with this issue and, as a result, two main trends of thought have emerged. The interventionist camp argues that "harm" caused by drug use during gestation should be criminally proscribed as the only viable avenue to alert the public to this issue and to both punish and treat drug-related behavior. The non-interventionist would prefer to see less use of the criminal sanction and use in its place a treatment and education oriented policy aimed at prevention instead of prosecution. 

 

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The issue of maternal drug use during pregnancy is a complex and multifaceted one that has significant implications for both public health and criminal justice While there is widespread agreement in t... View the full answer