“Cocaine mom” law comes off the books to the relief of those in medical field

Gundersen doc says heroin use doesn’t really lead to birth defects.

Wisconsin is doing away with the “cocaine mom” law.

Overturned in federal court early this week, it had allowed jail time for pregnant mothers who refused drug treatment. 

Its end has been welcome news to many in medicine, including Gundersen Health System obstetrician Chuck Schauberger, who believed the punitive nature of the law was counterproductive.

“It has more detriments than positives,” Schauberger said. “More women are going to be likely to avoid to coming in for prenatal care because of the risks of being put in jail.”

The law had been in the books for over 20 years.

In Schauberger’s experience working with substance abuse mothers, he has come to some interesting conclusions. Schauberger says heroin and other opioid drugs – even methamphetamine – don’t create birth defects the way tobacco or alcohol, especially, does.  

“It’s amazing but you’d think heroin would cause birth defects and all sorts of evil stuff but it really doesn’t,” he said. 

The La Crosse doctors stays busy working with these mothers, but he says it’s not all bad.

“These women are high risk but the nature of the high-risk status is something that we’re aware of and we can watch for,” he said. “The babies actually turn out better than you might anticipate.”

Worst outcomes still, he says, are for those born with fetal alcohol syndrome.