Abstract
The many pressing medical, psychological, legal, and ethical problems associated with substance abuse by pregnant and parenting women present daunting challenges. One approach is to adopt a legal perspective where tlte rights of mothers, fetuses, and children are pitted against one another in courtrooms and state legislatures. Another approach is to embrace a public health perspective, characterized by treating pregnant and postpartum substance abusers, protecting at-risk fetuses and children, and strengtltening broken families. Both ethical concepts and legal tenets must be considered to develop new paradigms designed to help at-risk mothers and children and to protect the rights claimed by all involved.

This publication has 13 references indexed in Scilit: