Wisconsin gets sued for throwing pregnant women in jail after appointing lawyers for their fetuses

[hedgehog]

8. I think this issue is more complex than many will admit.

Does the fetus have absolutely no rights until it draws breath? If a woman decides to bear a fetus to term, what are her duties and obligations to that fetus?For example, can we require pregnant women to get a rubella vaccine? As an extreme off-the-wall example, if the woman has all rights, what's to prevent a performance artist from taking thalidomide? Too extreme? What about the real babies born every day with fetal alcohol syndrome? I know an entire family in which it is clear that the mother was drinking heavily during each pregnancy. It's not pretty.

As it happens, a baby born to a woman using illegal drugs probably has a better shot at life than one born to a woman using legal alcohol. But it is far more acceptable to society to go after poor women using drugs than middle class and upper class women who binge drink behind closed door.

Approaching this through the criminal justice system is the wrong way to go. I really do not have any ideas on how to approach this.