Paper Says West Virginia Should Consider Criminal Penalties Against Women Who Use Drugs While Pregnant

Almost a fifth of all babies born in West Virginia have been exposed to drugs or alcohol before being born, according to a new study by Marshall University.

The study checked umbilical cords from eight West Virginia hospitals to find that the rate of substance abuse among pregnant women is higher than the 5% Marshall University researchers believed previously. One of the hospitals was in Wheeling.

"We've seen a tremendous increase in the number of mothers who are on drugs," said Dr. David Chaffin, a Marshall University obstetrician who was quoted in an Associated Press article about the study. National studies have found that 10%-14% of babies are exposed to substances in the womb but those studies and the Marshall one can't be directly compared because they use different methods.

The Intelligencer of Wheeling said 15% of babies tested in Wheeling show alcohol use by their mothers. That's the highest rate of alcohol use in West Virginia, the paper said.

In an editorial, The Intelligencer said that should be a part of the governor's recently announced substance-abuse strategy.

"The governor and other state officials should take a realistic look at the problem and find some way to combat it," the Intelligencer wrote. "If that means criminal penalties against women who intentionally put their fetuses at risk, so be it."

It is an issue that West Virginia's neighbor, Kentucky, is struggling with as well.