Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Alabama Charges Pregnant Woman Under Law Meant for Home Meth Labs
https://jezebel.com/alabama-charges-pregnant-woman-under-law-meant-for-home-1850470552An Alabama woman was arrested on Tuesday and charged for chemical endangerment of a child after having a stillbirth. Chelsey Redmon-Zellers, 24, delivered a stillborn baby at a hospital on May 18 following a full-term pregnancy, and the baby allegedly tested positive for methamphetamine, amphetamines, and fentanyl. Redmon-Zellers also tested positive at the hospital. Her bail was set at $200,000. The state’s chemical endangerment law was originally designed to protect children from home-based meth labs and was never intended to be used against pregnant women.
How is this happening? According to AL.com, the state Supreme Court gave prosecutors its blessing about a decade ago:
The woman was allegedly using drugs, but people with addiction deserve treatment, not criminalization—and jail is especially dangerous for pregnant people. Despite that fact, Coffee-Pike County District Attorney James Tarbox said, “It is this office’s hope that pregnant women who intend to use drugs and other harmful substances will seek the help and assistance they need rather than follow a path that leads to the death of their baby.”
The problem is that if people seek help for substance use during pregnancy, they’re likely to get arrested. And hospitals often subject people giving birth to nonconsensual drug testing, which can turn up false positives and lead to family separation.
How is this happening? According to AL.com, the state Supreme Court gave prosecutors its blessing about a decade ago:
Lawmakers passed the chemical endangerment law in 2006 to protect small children from fumes and chemicals from home-based meth labs. District attorneys soon began applying the law to protect the fetuses of women who used various drugs during pregnancy. Justices on the Alabama Supreme Court upheld and affirmed prosecutions of pregnant people in 2013 and 2014.
The woman was allegedly using drugs, but people with addiction deserve treatment, not criminalization—and jail is especially dangerous for pregnant people. Despite that fact, Coffee-Pike County District Attorney James Tarbox said, “It is this office’s hope that pregnant women who intend to use drugs and other harmful substances will seek the help and assistance they need rather than follow a path that leads to the death of their baby.”
The problem is that if people seek help for substance use during pregnancy, they’re likely to get arrested. And hospitals often subject people giving birth to nonconsensual drug testing, which can turn up false positives and lead to family separation.
2 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
