Illicit drug use in pregnancy: an appropriate response

A Position Paper from the Women and Harm Reduction International Network and the International Network of Women who Use Drugs. “Women who use drugs are reported to experience disproportionate levels of stigma and discrimination, often compounded during pregnancy, and also as mothers” (p.3) 1. In some countries, such as Russia and Ukraine, pregnant women who use illicit drugs have been coerced by health providers to either terminate their pregnancies or relinquish their children to the State, and are denied information about, and access to, appropriate interventions. In Norway, a unique law gives social workers the right to incarcerate pregnant women who use drugs to protect the health of the foetus.