Publisher's Synopsis
This title was first published in 2002. The problem of drug use by pregnant women has been widely discussed and both social policy and legizlation have been created in an attempt to deal with it. Using a black feminist analysis, this probing volume challenges these policies and laws, as well as much of the discussion, by examining the significant sexist, racist and class-based ideologies which underlie them. It examines the consequences of the assumptions made and finds that they have hampered research, limiting what we know about the relationship between maternal drug use and infant health. These assumptions also lead to the demonization of the women and lead to policies and laws which are actually harmful to the health of both women and babies. By stripping away this biased way of thinking, this book locates the problem not only in biological determinants and individual behaviour, but also in the context of family, community and society and offers a compelling argument that current policies and laws should be replaced with harm-reducing and non-punitive alternatives.
