In the United States, some of the starkest examples of the consequences of denying women full human rights center on pregnant, drug-using women. Although there is consensus in the medical community that addiction is a public health issue and that treating drug use during pregnancy as a crime undermines the health of both women and children, so-called fetal rights advocates have convinced many prosecutors, judges, and other law enforcement authorities to take a punitive stance toward these women. Not surprisingly, those at most risk for legal action are low-income women of color with insufficient access to health care or quality legal defense.

At a forum at OSI's offices in New York City sponsored by OSI's International Harm Reduction Development program (IHRD), two leading advocates of women's rights and drug policy reform discussed recent trends related to the prosecution of drug-using pregnant women in the United States. Both panelists—Lynn Paltrow, J.D., of the National Advocates for Pregnant Women and Ann Boyer, M.D., of Mount Sinai School of Medicine—focused on the misleading assumptions surrounding pregnancy and drug use that have prompted policy makers to harshly condemn vulnerable women and create social expectations for them that are unrealistic and unfair.

For more information about National Advocates for Pregnant Women (NAPW), visit its website at http://advocatesforpregnantwomen.org/.

Read a full summary of the forum.