The Tennessee governor signed a bill Tuesday that will hold pregnant women liable for using harmful drugs during pregnancy.
Tennessee now becomes the first U.S. country to arrest and jail pregnant women found guilty of taking drugs harming the fetus.
"I understand the concerns about this bill, and I will be monitoring the impact of the law through regular updates with the court system and health professionals," governor Bill Haslam (F) said, according to HuffPost.
He was urged by many civil rights activists to ban the bill.
The law states that a woman can be prosecuted for assault if she takes narcotics during pregnancy that result in three situations. She could be convicted if her infant is born with a drug addiction, is harmed from the drugs while in the womb or dies after birth due to complications arising from drug use. However, the law also permits the women to avoid criminal charges upon agreement to register in a state treatment program.
According to those who oppose the law, it will only discourage pregnant women with drug issues from getting medical care out of fear of being arrested. They further argue that for low-income mothers, many state treatment programs do not account for the mothers' loss of income.
"Today, the Tennessee governor has made it a crime to carry a pregnancy to term if you struggle with addiction or substance abuse," said Alexa Kolbi-Molinas, a staff attorney with the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project. "This deeply misguided law will force those women who need health care the most into the shadows. Pregnant women with addictions need better access to health care, not jail time."
The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) wrote, "Studies indicate that prenatal care greatly reduces the negative effects of substance abuse during pregnancy, including decreased risks of low birth weight and prematurity. Drug enforcement policies that deter women from seeking prenatal care are contrary to the welfare of the mother and fetus."
The law will go into effect on July 1.
