"Currently, states vary widely in how they mandate and administer screening, diagnosis, and treatment of pregnant women using opioids," ACOG President John C. Jennings said in a statement. The federal "legislation will help identify, compile, and disseminate best practices developed by medical professional organizations, including ACOG, and identify any gaps in best practices that may require additional research or analysis."
Courtesy Dr. Jones
Dr. Hendree Jones
The proposed legislation would facilitate the research and dissemination of evidence-informed recommendations for addressing maternal addiction and NAS and provide for NAS studies. The measure also would encourage the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to work with states to improve the availability and quality of data to more effectively respond to drug-addicted pregnant women. At this article’s deadline, the proposed act was in the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
"My legislation is no silver bullet, but it will help ensure that our public health system is better equipped to prevent and treat opiate addiction in mothers and their newborn children," Mr. McConnell said in a statement. "Together, we can overcome this tragic problem."
Developing resources that promote better medical care for addicted women and their children is a more effective answer than punitive laws, added Hendree Jones, Ph.D., a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the university and executive director of the UNC Horizons programs. Horizons provides substance abuse treatment and child care to women who are pregnant or parenting young children.
"Incarcerating women to reduce the prevalence of drug use during pregnancy is a misguided solution to the issue," Dr. Jones said in an interview. "Increasing access to high-quality treatment would be a much more fruitful approach."
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