U.S. states are increasingly adopting legislation to address substance use among pregnant and postpartum individuals. But a new study from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health finds that punitive laws are largely ineffective and may actually harm those they aim to protect. These laws can undermine trust between patients and clinicians and disproportionately affect lower-income women and women of color—groups already facing systemic barriers to care.
Punitive laws on substance use in pregnancy may do more harm than good
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