Tennessee set to criminalise pregnant women who use illegal drugs

Tennessee is poised to become the first state in the US to criminalise pregnant women for harm caused to their foetuses or newborn babies as a result of addiction to illegal drugs.

The proposal, SB 1391, is expected to land on the desk of Bill Haslam, the Republican governor, early next week. He will then have 10 days to decide whether to sign it into law.

If Haslam passes the bill, which cleared both chambers of the state legislature last week with resounding majorities, Tennessee will become the first state in the union to hold women criminally accountable for illegal drug use during pregnancy, with punishments of up to 15 years in prison.

Many other states, predominantly in the south, have considered similar laws but have always pulled back in the face of the overwhelming medical consensus that such moves put babies at risk.

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