Image Credit: Representative Bruce Griffey
The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
Unless you are a law enforcement officer, a prosecutor, a healthcare worker or work for DCS or a child advocacy center such as Carl Perkins, you may not be aware that there is a loophole in Tennessee’s law resulting in the failure to protect unborn children from drug exposure in utero.
In fact, if a mother takes a newborn home from the hospital and just days after delivery prepares a bottle for the baby as she is using methamphetamine, the mother could be charged with child abuse, neglect or endangerment if the newborn tests positive for methamphetamine.
However, the same mother could use methamphetamine throughout her pregnancy, forcing the methamphetamine into the same innocent child, and causing the child to be born with meth in its system and addicted from birth, and there is no law in TN that allows the mother to be prosecuted.
Tennessee House Representative Bruce Griffey (R-Paris-District 75) is proposing to fix this loophole with House Bill 2314, which is being sponsored in the Senate by Mark Pody (SB2300).
Griffey stated, “Tennessee law desperately needs to be fixed because unborn children are equally deserving of protection. Our society has a duty to protect its most fragile citizens from drug exposure.”
“Research studies have long established that there are a myriad of consequences that can result from prenatal drug exposure, including, but not limited to, premature birth, low birth weight, withdrawal tremors as well as balance and feeding problems. There can also be significant, long-term developmental consequences such as brain damage, congenital syndromes, learning disabilities, behavioral problems and cognitive and language delays. Not only does a mother’s drug use during pregnancy pose a risk to her innocent child’s health and development, but it also imposes socio-economic burdens on society by increasing the need for medical and social services – sometimes on a long-term basis,” Griffey continued.
“Prenatal drug exposure is on the rise. Indeed, according to the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare, 1.2 per 1,000 hospital births in 2000 were diagnosed with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome – which occurs when a baby is exposed to drugs in the womb before birth. This number jumped to 20 per 1,000 live births in 2016, and continues to increase,” explained Griffey.
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“I have been a long-time pro-life advocate and have fought hard at the Capitol for legislation to protect life at all stages. I was a co-sponsor of the Fetal Heartbeat Bill and helped get it passed to restrict abortions in Tennessee. I was also a co-sponsor of the Prenatal Life and Liberty Act that was passed into law in Tennessee. Tennessee needs to continue to move the needle forward in further defining the humanity of unborn children and recognizing unborn children as human beings – God’s creations – deserving of dignity and protection,” Griffey concluded.
Griffey requests that anyone interested in testifying in support of this bill contact him by email at Rep.Bruce.Griffey@Capitol.TN.gov and to sign the petition to support this bill.
In summary, House Bill 2314 (HB2314) and Senate Bill 2300 (SB2300) expands the offenses of child abuse, child neglect, child endangerment, aggravated child abuse, aggravated child neglect, and aggravated child endangerment to include acts of abuse, neglect, and endangerment against an unborn child.
The legislation also defines an unborn child as an individual living member of the species, homo sapiens, throughout the entire embryonic and fetal stages of the unborn child from fertilization to birth.
HB2314 was presented in the House Health Subcommittee on Tuesday, February 22nd but they chose to defer any action on the bill until March 8th.
To offer your support for this bill, contact the Republican members of the committee (who hold the supermajority vote) before their meeting on March 8th.
Republican representatives serving on the Health Subcommittee are listed below:
Republican representatives serving on the Health Subcommittee are listed below:
Chairman Bob Ramsey – rep.bob.ramsey@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-3560
Clark Boyd – rep.clark.boyd@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-7086
David Byrd – rep.david.byrd@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-2190
Mark Hall – rep.mark.hall@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-1350
Sabi Kumar – rep.sabi.kumar@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-2860
Pat Marsh – rep.pat.marsh@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-6824
Paul Sherrell – rep.paul.sherrell@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-1963
Robin Smith – rep.robin.smith@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-2548
Bryan Terry – rep.bryan.terry@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-2180
The Senate version of the bill, SB2300, was passed on first and second consideration and has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee but has not yet appeared on their calendar.
One Response
These same harsh penalties should apply to alcohol consumption by pregnant women, as well. So often, people “jump” at the word “meth” while ignoring fetal alcohol syndrome. Protecting unborn children from abuse in the womb is very important. These measures should also provide severe punishments to those who physically and/or emotionally abuse pregnant women, and should include abuses such as weight and body shaming, which often leads women to ignore the nutritiinal and caloric needs of themselves and the child(ren) they are carrying during pregnancy. Additionally, I believe forcing covid vaccinations upon pregnant women is a crime which should be punished severely, as well.