Answer to discussion about anorexia and bulimia:
As the author pointed out, the reasons for both of these conditions are solely psychological and the physiology is just a symptom. So I believe that the therapy should be mainly directed on getting the patient to understand that their condition is not terminal and can be easily treated. The core of the therapy should be based on patient’s own desire to change; their close people should provide strong moral support and convince him that there is nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone has numerous flaws and no one is perfect. The road to internal peace is to accept yourself and not to compare with others. Once the patient feels comfort and support, they should reform their understanding of the matter and make significant progress. Though this kind of approach is slow and tedious, it should help with patient’s full recovery.
Before starting punishing pregnant women for alcohol consumption based on common law, new legislations regarding civil rights of fetuses should be incorporated. However, the approach directed on creating and expanding treatment programs and medical services could be more effective in resolving the issue than punitive actions.
The issue of alcohol consumption and substance abuse by pregnant women is one of the examples where legal actions can put too high pressure on constitutional rights of a person. It is challenging to draw a line between requirements of care for unborn child and personal freedom of actions. It is a known fact that even basic medical prescriptions are restricted for use during pregnancy since there is no knowing how it might affect the fetus and are applied only in extreme cases. Harmful effects of alcohol on human body is also of common knowledge, so any well-educated and self-aware person in their right mind would take no step in putting an unborn child under harm of a such hazardous substance.
There is a whole array of human health conditions induced by prenatal alcohol exposure under the term Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) (“Facts about FASDs”). The symptoms are usually associated with damaged central nervous system and affect various mental traits and skills such as learning, remembering, emotion control and attention shift. Some people with FASD may develop Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), depression and have a higher chance of alcohol and other substance use disorders. According to statistic reports, in the US majority of pregnant women who drink alcohol do it on the first trimester (Ethen, Ramadhani, Scheuerle, Canfield, Wyszynski, Druschel and Romitti 276) and each year about 40,000 babies are born with an FASD (Lupton, Burd and Hardwood 42). The first trimester is the most critical period of pregnancy during which the foundation of all organ systems is being laid. Since alcohol level in fetal blood is equal or even higher than of the mother’s, any small amount of the drink can cause harm on the baby, whose body cannot break down alcohol molecules and thus remains under prolonged effect.
Legal actions had been taken against pregnant women drinking alcohol in many states on basis of laws and statutes regarding childcare, thus raising concern of violation of their constitutional rights (“Punishing Women for Their Behavior During Pregnancy: An Approach That Undermines Women’s Health and Children’s Interests” 3). The dilemma lies in whether and how the state should intervene in pregnant woman’s behavior and actions trying to preserve the baby and protect the rights of its future citizen. Common laws proved to be a scant and deficient tool in resolving the matter, as many courts have agreed on that a fetus cannot be described by the terms “child”, “person” or “human being” used in existing statutes. Thus new legislations describing the rights of unborn children should be accepted.
Works cited
Ethen, Mary K., Ramadhani, Tunu A., Scheuerle, Angela E., Canfield, Mark A., Wyszynski, Diego F., Druschel, Charlotte M., and Romitti, Paul A. National Birth Defects Prevention Study. “Alcohol Consumption By Women Before And During Pregnancy.” Maternal and Child Health Journal 13.2 (2009) : 274–285. Web. 7 Apr. 2016.
“Facts About FASDs.” Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 Apr. 2015. Web. 6 Apr. 2016.
Lupton, Chuck, Burd, Larry, and Harwood Rick. “Cost Of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.” American Journal of Medical Genetics 127C.1 (2004) : 42-50. Web. 7 Apr. 2016.
“Punishing Women for Their Behavior During Pregnancy: An Approach That Undermines Women’s Health and Children’s Interests”. Reproductive Freedom in Focus. Center for Reproductive Law and Policy, 2 Sept. 2000. Web. 7 Apr. 2016.
