A new state task force on prenatal Substance Use Disorder (SUD) will likely consider whether to end mandated reporting of SUD to child protection, both prenatally and at birth.
Medical associations’ policy positions uniformly state that mandated reporting of prenatal SUD inhibits women from seeking medical care. While the research isn’t as clear-cut as they say, creative outreach efforts to engage high-risk women in prenatal care is probably the best current option for protecting children.
Other legislative proposals would severely limit mandated reporting of newborns who are withdrawing from drugs or alcohol. We don’t support this. Instead, we recommend intensive, non-voluntary services first to begin addressing the serious consequences of prenatal alcohol abuse. Also, as this study shows, while the research is less definitive on prenatal drug use, it isn’t clearly harmless, and may also cause developmental damage.
Join Rich for a discussion and analysis in this week’s podcast, here or wherever you hear your favorite shows.
Read the transcript of the podcast here.