Women getting convicted for drinking while pregnant and causing birth defects. It seems like this argument has been sitting in a waiting line for our society's debate table, and it's not being brought to the front.
In order for this to be a valid thing, I believe that the mother's situation needs to be analyzed before any conclusion about charges can be reached. If the woman is a severe alcoholic and has no regard for a human life, not planning on actually taking care of the child or investing anything in their future, yes I believe they should be punished. Now you have to look at another possible side of the whole thing. What if the mother just was drinking a glass of wine once a week every week while she was pregnant and they were able to conclude that child's birth defect is from the alcohol? I think that if the mother is willing to take full responsibility for thew child, there's no reason to charge her on a federal level for whatever damage she will have to endure. She'll have to live with the fact that it's her fault the child is defected, and if they're going to raise the child, special expenses and medications will have to be paid for that. I believe that is enough punishment in regards to what is happening in that scenario.
Next you have the side that straight up says that running that risk is against the child's rights as a human as to how they want their life to be handled. This can have wrench thrown in the argument by saying a parent or guardian is in charge of a child's life until an adequate age is reached. So therefore, it is up to the parent by that standard. Then you open the door towards other arguments, and whether or not abortion is valid by the setting that a parent is in control of the child's life, but since it's regarding their life as a whole, it isn't fair. It's a very sticky situation, and will have to be truly decided by the ethics that we as a society deem correct.
But as a whole, the decision as to whether or not expecting mothers should be charged for drinking while impregnated depends on the future of the family and the scenario of the time period in which the drinking took place.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/11208353/Mothers-who-drink-while-pregnant-could-face-legal-proceedings-following-test-case.html
