Politics

Should Drug-Addicted Pregnant Women Face Jail Time?

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In Tennessee, it is now a crime for a woman to give birth to a child with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS). NAS is a condition in which the baby is born dependent on the narcotic drugs the mother was taking during pregnancy. While the state has seen a ten-fold increase of NAS over the last decade, many in the state are wondering if criminalizing the addiction of a pregnant woman is the best way to combat this condition.