i agree with you. but there are some points that i would also like to point out. you might be right were if drug test are mandatory you will get more people getting abortions. but is this what we really want? and yes just doing the random is wrong as well as most are poor women of color. but i still think that it is the mothers responsibility to get clean, if they do get caught the right way then they deserve what comes to them. but discriminating against these poor women is wrong on so many levels. also did you ever think that this would cost us the tax payers more money if we make mandatory to do drug test. i have and i think that if the mom cant get clean on there own they should not even be having a baby in the first place. there are many ways to prevent this and even abortion should be chosen if the mom is a drug user, mainly because they should know that they are not ready for a baby. get your life straighten out before you even think you can raise a baby properly. if you can't do it properly don't do it at all.
Gostin, Lawrence O. "Testing Pregnant Women for Drug Abuse Is Discriminatory."
San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2005. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center.
Web. 29 Jan. 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Saturday, February 6, 2010
To test or not to Test?
Jessica Deutsch
English 1022
Brian Lewis
To Test or Not to Test
Even though testing urine for drugs can be a very helpful and try to get mothers back on the right track, it also can be very discriminatory. There have been a lot of cases in which doctors will only send reports to the police of women who were low income minorities. In the poor community hospitals many minority women were tested without their consent or knowledge. Hospitals in a middle or upper class community the women who were found using illicit drugs made referrals to social services but not to the police (Gostin). In the case of Ferguson vs. the City of Charleston devised a policy which stated which type of woman should be tested for drugs. They targeted, “women who had obtained no prenatal care or late or incomplete prenatal care, and women known to have previously abused drugs or alcohol abuse” (Gostin). This is looked at to be very discriminatory to all women. It isn’t fair that only low income woman and past drug abuser women should only be tested for drugs while being pregnant. In 2001 the Supreme Court overturned the Ferguson vs. the City of Charleston saying public hospitals cannot give woman drug tests without a warrant, and turning positive urine results into the police (Gostin). They believe that this would be violating the fourth amendment against unreasonable searches. The start of testing pregnant women for drugs on a regular basis can result them to consider more abortions then trying to get treatment. I think this is very true if women that are on drugs know that they will be tested all the time for drugs, and then maybe potentially turned into the police if found positive, they won’t want to go to the doctor anymore, and getting an abortion would be a better case then dealing with the consequences with the police.
In theory trying to get women help while pregnant would be the best guess to trying to protect the mother and the fetus, but at the same time it may also cause discriminatory acts against women not of the middle or upper class, and cause women to get abortions because they don’t want to get in trouble with the law. I agree that women should be tested for drugs in the sake of the baby, but it shouldn’t just be certain women it should be every single woman no matter what race, or class!
Gostin, Lawrence O. "Testing Pregnant Women for Drug Abuse Is Discriminatory."
San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2005. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center.
Web. 29 Jan. 2010
English 1022
Brian Lewis
To Test or Not to Test
Even though testing urine for drugs can be a very helpful and try to get mothers back on the right track, it also can be very discriminatory. There have been a lot of cases in which doctors will only send reports to the police of women who were low income minorities. In the poor community hospitals many minority women were tested without their consent or knowledge. Hospitals in a middle or upper class community the women who were found using illicit drugs made referrals to social services but not to the police (Gostin). In the case of Ferguson vs. the City of Charleston devised a policy which stated which type of woman should be tested for drugs. They targeted, “women who had obtained no prenatal care or late or incomplete prenatal care, and women known to have previously abused drugs or alcohol abuse” (Gostin). This is looked at to be very discriminatory to all women. It isn’t fair that only low income woman and past drug abuser women should only be tested for drugs while being pregnant. In 2001 the Supreme Court overturned the Ferguson vs. the City of Charleston saying public hospitals cannot give woman drug tests without a warrant, and turning positive urine results into the police (Gostin). They believe that this would be violating the fourth amendment against unreasonable searches. The start of testing pregnant women for drugs on a regular basis can result them to consider more abortions then trying to get treatment. I think this is very true if women that are on drugs know that they will be tested all the time for drugs, and then maybe potentially turned into the police if found positive, they won’t want to go to the doctor anymore, and getting an abortion would be a better case then dealing with the consequences with the police.
In theory trying to get women help while pregnant would be the best guess to trying to protect the mother and the fetus, but at the same time it may also cause discriminatory acts against women not of the middle or upper class, and cause women to get abortions because they don’t want to get in trouble with the law. I agree that women should be tested for drugs in the sake of the baby, but it shouldn’t just be certain women it should be every single woman no matter what race, or class!
Gostin, Lawrence O. "Testing Pregnant Women for Drug Abuse Is Discriminatory."
San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2005. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center.
Web. 29 Jan. 2010
no drug testing
No drug testing
Now I’m all for a healthy mom equals a healthy baby. But it is my option that it is not the doctor’s job to do random drug test unless it is a minatory one that is part of the check up. There has been many times of doctors asking for a urine test when it is not part of the check up. Although there has been casing where the mom was abusing drugs most of the time it is Discriminatory. These drug tests are sometimes taking without the using knowing there are testing for drugs and are focused towards poor women of color. This is very wrong and should not be done without the knowledge of the mother. As far as the drug user moms, it is their responsibility to get help if needed. The doctor should also go over the risk of what could happen. But doing a random drug test is not the way. Once again doing minatory urine test as part of the check up is ok, but doing without the mother’s knowledge or consent is very wrong.
Drug Tests of Pregnant Women Are Discriminatory. Mary Faith Marshall.
Opposing Viewpoints: Chemical Dependency. Ed. Laura K. Egendorf. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2003.
Testing Pregnant Women for Drug Abuse Is Discriminatory. Lawrence O. Gostin.
Opposing Viewpoints: Drug Abuse. Ed. Tamara L. Roleff. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2005.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
To test!
Kayla Donahue
For women being tested
1/31/10
Everyone should get a fair chance to start out in life. I think that pregnant women should be tested. It is only fair for the baby to have a normal healthy chance in life.
All women should be tested while being pregnant. No women should be drinking, smoking or doing drugs while carrying an infant. If that’s what they are going to do then they do not need to have a child. If the women does drugs or drinks it is their responsibility to quit for the baby’s sake. If the mother does that the child doesn’t even have a chance at being healthy. The baby could develop FAS, serious problems, or disorders. They should be clean and want to bring a healthy baby into this world. Abusing alcohol or drugs while being pregnant should be a crime, it is not right and it tortures the fetus. It is endangering your baby and it’s bound to come out having problems or retardation. It is not fair to the baby when they cannot control the outcome of being born healthy. When they grow up they want a chance to be like every other healthy child in this world. It is sad looking at children that have problems that could have been prevented if the mother was clean while she was pregnant with the baby.
“Pregnant woman may be held criminally liable for any action during her pregnancy that would "endanger the life, health or comfort of her fetus.” I can agree with this I do think that pregnant women should be held criminally liable for the endangerment of their fetus. It is no one else’s problem or concern for the fetus but the mothers. No one can take blame for the mother’s action. There is no known safe amount of alcohol to drink while pregnant.
“In the following viewpoint, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) maintains that any alcohol consumption during pregnancy may be harmful to the unborn baby. According to the CDC, alcohol can cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) that result in lifelong physical, mental, and behavioral disabilities. These problems can be prevented simply by not drinking alcohol while pregnant, it insists. The CDC is a government agency that works to protect the health and safety of all Americans.” FASDs can be prevented by not having the mother drink at all during pregnancy. This is common knowledge for mothers to know well being pregnant. If the mother thinks that she cannot handle it then she should consider not having kids, if she has a problem.
“When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, so does her unborn baby. There is no known safe amount of alcohol to drink while pregnant and there also does not appear to be a safe time to drink during pregnancy either. Therefore, it is recommended that women abstain from drinking alcohol at any time during pregnancy. Women who are sexually active and do not use effective birth control should also refrain from drinking because they could become pregnant and not know for several weeks or more.” This is a very good point, no alcohol is appropriate for a fetus. They say that a glass of wine once in awhile is okay and isn't harmful to the fetus, but I believe any alcohol substance is bad.
Marshall, Mary Faith. "Drug Tests of Pregnant Women Are Discriminatory." Opposing Viewpoints: Chemical Dependency. Ed. Laura K. Egendorf. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2003. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale.
Century College Library. 31 Jan. 2010
Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and. "Any Alcohol Use During Pregnancy Is Harmful." Opposing Viewpoints: Alcohol. Ed. Andrea C. Nakaya. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Century College Library. 31 Jan. 2010
For women being tested
1/31/10
Everyone should get a fair chance to start out in life. I think that pregnant women should be tested. It is only fair for the baby to have a normal healthy chance in life.
All women should be tested while being pregnant. No women should be drinking, smoking or doing drugs while carrying an infant. If that’s what they are going to do then they do not need to have a child. If the women does drugs or drinks it is their responsibility to quit for the baby’s sake. If the mother does that the child doesn’t even have a chance at being healthy. The baby could develop FAS, serious problems, or disorders. They should be clean and want to bring a healthy baby into this world. Abusing alcohol or drugs while being pregnant should be a crime, it is not right and it tortures the fetus. It is endangering your baby and it’s bound to come out having problems or retardation. It is not fair to the baby when they cannot control the outcome of being born healthy. When they grow up they want a chance to be like every other healthy child in this world. It is sad looking at children that have problems that could have been prevented if the mother was clean while she was pregnant with the baby.
“Pregnant woman may be held criminally liable for any action during her pregnancy that would "endanger the life, health or comfort of her fetus.” I can agree with this I do think that pregnant women should be held criminally liable for the endangerment of their fetus. It is no one else’s problem or concern for the fetus but the mothers. No one can take blame for the mother’s action. There is no known safe amount of alcohol to drink while pregnant.
“In the following viewpoint, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) maintains that any alcohol consumption during pregnancy may be harmful to the unborn baby. According to the CDC, alcohol can cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) that result in lifelong physical, mental, and behavioral disabilities. These problems can be prevented simply by not drinking alcohol while pregnant, it insists. The CDC is a government agency that works to protect the health and safety of all Americans.” FASDs can be prevented by not having the mother drink at all during pregnancy. This is common knowledge for mothers to know well being pregnant. If the mother thinks that she cannot handle it then she should consider not having kids, if she has a problem.
“When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, so does her unborn baby. There is no known safe amount of alcohol to drink while pregnant and there also does not appear to be a safe time to drink during pregnancy either. Therefore, it is recommended that women abstain from drinking alcohol at any time during pregnancy. Women who are sexually active and do not use effective birth control should also refrain from drinking because they could become pregnant and not know for several weeks or more.” This is a very good point, no alcohol is appropriate for a fetus. They say that a glass of wine once in awhile is okay and isn't harmful to the fetus, but I believe any alcohol substance is bad.
Marshall, Mary Faith. "Drug Tests of Pregnant Women Are Discriminatory." Opposing Viewpoints: Chemical Dependency. Ed. Laura K. Egendorf. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2003. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale.
Century College Library. 31 Jan. 2010
Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and. "Any Alcohol Use During Pregnancy Is Harmful." Opposing Viewpoints: Alcohol. Ed. Andrea C. Nakaya. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Century College Library. 31 Jan. 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
To test or not to test?
Jessica Deutsch
English 1022
Brian Lewis
To test or not to test?
When a mother becomes pregnant she wants to keep her baby as healthy and safe as she can while it is in the womb. When mothers go to the doctor for their daily check ups on the baby, sometimes taking a urine test is a must. The results of the urine test sometimes turn out to be tested positive for drug use, and then some hospitals turn it over to the police. Now the controversy is should mothers be tested for drug use when they are pregnant or is it discriminatory and against the rights of the fourth amendment? I for one believe that it can be both a must and discriminatory. I feel that it is both because I do think that mothers should be put into treatment because they are not only hurting themselves by being on drugs but they are hurting the fetus too. But also some doctors are getting these positive urine tests back and only handing in the ones to the police who are lower class, or of a different nationality, and I don’t think that’s right. Every nationality and class status should be reported because they are potentially hurting another person too.
Many people believe that prosecuting a mother for using any type of drugs while being pregnant isn’t fair for many reasons. I believe that a mother shouldn’t get prosecuted but she immediately be put into treatment for her and her baby’s sake. Many people think urine testing on pregnant women is against the fourth amendment. The fourth amendment protects searches against citizen’s houses, persons, papers, and effects, not against urine testing which someone has passed and then abandoned it for medical reasons. When a mother goes to the doctor and the doctor asks for a urine sample if they are free willing to give it up they can be giving up the evidence if any is found, and then there wouldn’t be any privacy to invade. When some of the samples of urine were turned into the police the districts courts said, “the testing policy wasn’t to arrest patients, but to facilitate their treatment and protect both the mother and unborn child" (Testing Pregnant Women…Constitutional). The point of taking urine tests is to have an immediate response to the mother and her baby, instead of letting the drug abuse hurt the baby even if the mother doesn’t care. Getting mothers into drug treatment is the main importance on taking these urine tests. When some doctors and nurses agreed to providing the police with the positive urine tests it was 1) to report child abuse and 2) to have arrests be a very strong incentive for wanting women to stop abusing drugs while being pregnant, and get themselves into treatment (Testing Pregnant Women…Constitutional).
Scalia, Rehnquist and Clarence Thomas. "Testing Pregnant Women for
Drug Abuse Is Constitutional." San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2005. Opposing
Viewpoints Resource Center. Web. 29 Jan. 2010
English 1022
Brian Lewis
To test or not to test?
When a mother becomes pregnant she wants to keep her baby as healthy and safe as she can while it is in the womb. When mothers go to the doctor for their daily check ups on the baby, sometimes taking a urine test is a must. The results of the urine test sometimes turn out to be tested positive for drug use, and then some hospitals turn it over to the police. Now the controversy is should mothers be tested for drug use when they are pregnant or is it discriminatory and against the rights of the fourth amendment? I for one believe that it can be both a must and discriminatory. I feel that it is both because I do think that mothers should be put into treatment because they are not only hurting themselves by being on drugs but they are hurting the fetus too. But also some doctors are getting these positive urine tests back and only handing in the ones to the police who are lower class, or of a different nationality, and I don’t think that’s right. Every nationality and class status should be reported because they are potentially hurting another person too.
Many people believe that prosecuting a mother for using any type of drugs while being pregnant isn’t fair for many reasons. I believe that a mother shouldn’t get prosecuted but she immediately be put into treatment for her and her baby’s sake. Many people think urine testing on pregnant women is against the fourth amendment. The fourth amendment protects searches against citizen’s houses, persons, papers, and effects, not against urine testing which someone has passed and then abandoned it for medical reasons. When a mother goes to the doctor and the doctor asks for a urine sample if they are free willing to give it up they can be giving up the evidence if any is found, and then there wouldn’t be any privacy to invade. When some of the samples of urine were turned into the police the districts courts said, “the testing policy wasn’t to arrest patients, but to facilitate their treatment and protect both the mother and unborn child" (Testing Pregnant Women…Constitutional). The point of taking urine tests is to have an immediate response to the mother and her baby, instead of letting the drug abuse hurt the baby even if the mother doesn’t care. Getting mothers into drug treatment is the main importance on taking these urine tests. When some doctors and nurses agreed to providing the police with the positive urine tests it was 1) to report child abuse and 2) to have arrests be a very strong incentive for wanting women to stop abusing drugs while being pregnant, and get themselves into treatment (Testing Pregnant Women…Constitutional).
Scalia, Rehnquist and Clarence Thomas. "Testing Pregnant Women for
Drug Abuse Is Constitutional." San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2005. Opposing
Viewpoints Resource Center. Web. 29 Jan. 2010
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