Should drug addicts be charged for murder if their child is stillborn?

Published October 22, 2010

Question by Miss Verlaine: Should drug addicts be charged for murder if their child is stillborn?
In South Carolina, a woman was sentenced to 12 years in prision for homicide by child abuse.

–homeless drug addict with IQ of 72
–was using cocaine at 8.5 months
–addicted to cocaine, and no drug-treatment options available to her

Please consider both sides before answering….what do you think? What are your reasons?
Assume that yes, it was the cocaine that lead to the death of the fetus
I hate throwing in my opinion, because I don’t want to bias the answers….but think about it

What about smokers? They can cause serious harm to their fetus as well. They have smaller babies, and risk premature birth. Should they be charged with child abuse?

Best answer:

Answer by Meg
Not unless they can ACTUALLY PROVE that it was the drugs that killed the baby. There could be other reasons why, diseases not associated with drugs what-so-ever.

What do you think? Answer below!