MATERNAL DRUG-ABUSE - LAWS AND ETHICS AS AGENTS OF JUST BALANCES AND THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS

Among the many pressing legal, psychosocial, and ethical issues surrou nding perinatal chemical dependence is one of achieving balances betwe en far-reaching rights claimed for the unborn arid for children, and t hose claimed by their mothers. In an attempt to achieve balances that are just and promote positive consequences, policies and laws have evo lved that have pitted disparate individuals and groups against each ot her, most obviously mothers against their fetuses and children. Some s uch policies have had negative consequences such as the further weaken ing of already at-risk families and the erosion of doctor/patient trus t. This article asserts that ethical concepts and legal tenets must be combined to develop new paradigms designed to minimize conflict and t o achieve just and therapeutic balances between the rights and needs o f those involved.