ACLU of Maryland Declares Victory as High Court Unanimously Rules Pregnancy
Prosecutions Are Illegal (8/3/2006)
Via ACLU website:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: media@aclu.org
BALTIMORE, MD – The American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland applauded today’s decision by the Maryland Court of Appeals unanimously ruling that the reckless endangerment statute does not apply to women who take drugs while pregnant.
Oh, this is priceless...
“The ACLU of Maryland is heartened that the high court agrees that prosecuting drug-dependent pregnant women is not what the state of Maryland considers good policy,” said David Rocah, staff attorney for the ACLU of Maryland. “We believe that using criminal law to regulate a pregnant woman’s conduct on the theory that it might harm a fetus or her newborn child is counterproductive, illegal, and, ultimately bad for children and society.”
(Bolding is my doing)
In reaching its decision in Cruz v. State of Maryland, the Maryland Court of Appeals stressed that the General Assembly has consistently rejected efforts to allow criminal prosecutions of women for drug use while pregnant because the approach to the problem is not good public policy. The high court ruled that state law does not support such criminal prosecutions and reversed the conviction of Kelly Cruz, a Talbot County woman who was convicted in August 2005 of reckless endangerment because she gave birth to a drug-exposed baby.
Read the rest of the article Here
After serving in the United States Navy, I decided to attend college and study Fire Science. I spent four years working as a full time Firefighter for a local City Department, and spent a lot of time in hospitals, including Children's Hospital in Oakland, CA.
Children's Hospital has a special ward in their ICU for drug babies, or babies born to women who use and abuse drugs. There is no MIGHT about it. It is heart wrenching to see these 1 1/2 -2 pound babies lying in incubators with IV's and oxygen tents covering their little bodies. And knowing that if these little people do get to go home, they'll likely be going to the very environment that damaged their little bodies and minds to begin with. Yes, several of these children that do live not only have physical, but mental developmental issues as well.
So, thank you again ACLU, for insuring that the children who already suffer from life long health disabilities are insured company in their infirmities.
Please, join the ranks of STOP THE ACLU, and make an impact.
Hat tip to: StoptheACLU
Via ACLU website:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: media@aclu.org
BALTIMORE, MD – The American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland applauded today’s decision by the Maryland Court of Appeals unanimously ruling that the reckless endangerment statute does not apply to women who take drugs while pregnant.
Oh, this is priceless...
“The ACLU of Maryland is heartened that the high court agrees that prosecuting drug-dependent pregnant women is not what the state of Maryland considers good policy,” said David Rocah, staff attorney for the ACLU of Maryland. “We believe that using criminal law to regulate a pregnant woman’s conduct on the theory that it might harm a fetus or her newborn child is counterproductive, illegal, and, ultimately bad for children and society.”
(Bolding is my doing)
In reaching its decision in Cruz v. State of Maryland, the Maryland Court of Appeals stressed that the General Assembly has consistently rejected efforts to allow criminal prosecutions of women for drug use while pregnant because the approach to the problem is not good public policy. The high court ruled that state law does not support such criminal prosecutions and reversed the conviction of Kelly Cruz, a Talbot County woman who was convicted in August 2005 of reckless endangerment because she gave birth to a drug-exposed baby.
Read the rest of the article Here
After serving in the United States Navy, I decided to attend college and study Fire Science. I spent four years working as a full time Firefighter for a local City Department, and spent a lot of time in hospitals, including Children's Hospital in Oakland, CA.
Children's Hospital has a special ward in their ICU for drug babies, or babies born to women who use and abuse drugs. There is no MIGHT about it. It is heart wrenching to see these 1 1/2 -2 pound babies lying in incubators with IV's and oxygen tents covering their little bodies. And knowing that if these little people do get to go home, they'll likely be going to the very environment that damaged their little bodies and minds to begin with. Yes, several of these children that do live not only have physical, but mental developmental issues as well.
So, thank you again ACLU, for insuring that the children who already suffer from life long health disabilities are insured company in their infirmities.
Please, join the ranks of STOP THE ACLU, and make an impact.
Hat tip to: StoptheACLU
posted by Gary | 9:45 AM
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