Is it time the law lay off pregnant women who do smoke crack?
Feminists often point to the criminalization of women on drugs as an argument against abortion.
Of course we do not want any harm to come to the child.
But if the harm done by crack is not significant enough to warrant criminal penalties...
Should we take it off the books?
Of course when I say "we" I mean Americans-- those States that do penalize use of crack during pregnancy in the name of protecting the unborn.
Personally, I find there is a lot of hysteria surrounding substance abuse during pregnancy.
When I was a fetus, my mother smoked.
I turned out okay.
Some mothers drank while pregnant and their babies came out fine.
I'm not saying it's a good thing to do.
But is the harm sufficient to justify prosecution?
I'm skeptical.
I'm far less concerned for the fetus of a mother smoking a cigarette than the baby whose mother is contemplating abortion.
If we eliminate unnecessary penalties, this will be one less argument in the feminist arsenal, and debunk that we're out to control women.
