What Happens When Babies are Born Addicted to Drugs? (GRAPHIC)

WARNING! There are scenes and images from this video which are disturbing. At first, I wasn't going to publish this article because of the graphic nature of the video. I thought it over and realized that this is a serious problem that needs to be looked at. Babies are born addicted to drugs every day, and the problem is only getting worse. How can we pretend this isn't happening? The time to make changes is now. Hold tight because this video will stick with you.

These Babies Were Born Addicted to Drugs

How is a Baby Born Addicted to Drugs?

Being born addicted to drugs is a medical term known as Neo-Natal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS). The condition is a result of a pregnant mother actively using drugs (most commonly opiate painkillers, heroin or crack cocaine) while pregnant. The child essentially becomes addicted in utero. When the baby is born they suffer the same withdrawal symptoms any heroin addict may experience. As the drug supply once provided by their mother disappears, the newborn immediately goes into withdrawal. According to some health professionals, not all babies who were given drugs in utero are born addicted to drugs. But the babies that are born addicted experience very disturbing side effects. Health professionals report that the symptoms—malnourishment, unwillingness or inability to eat, diarrhea, seizures and tremors, practically allergic to light and any sort of physical contact—are very painful and cause babies with NAS to suffer a great deal.

Babies Addicted to Drugs by the Numbers

The number of babies born addicted to drugs has tripled in the last decade. The rates are especially high in heavily troubled states such as Tennessee and Florida, where the opiate epidemic is seeing some of the worst numbers. Florida is reporting the highest numbers of addicted babies. Much of this is a simple cause of the "Pill Mills" and "Oxy-Express" culture that has plagued Florida for a better part of the last decade. Opiate pills and even heroin are very easy to obtain in the state of Florida, although legislation is being passed to remedy that problem.

Why Is This Happening?

It is simple. This is just another general effect of the opiate epidemic in our country. Florida is not the only state reporting problems. Heroin and painkiller addiction is at an all time high and every day babies are being born with opiate addiction. The data does suggest some interesting findings. In the 80's doctors reported a much higher rate of babies who were born addicted to drugs like crack cocaine or methamphetamine. Now, hospitals are reporting much higher rates of opiate addiction with drugs such as Vicodin or Oxycontin. While it is certainly possible that addicted pregnant woman are using illicit drugs obtained through the street market, it is estimated that in Tennesse, 60% of all mothers who gave birth to babies with NAS were using the drugs legally, and obtained the drugs with a valid prescription through a legitimate doctor. This is to say that these soon to be mother's were using narcotic drugs with approval from a doctor, and still they gave birth to babies addicted to drugs.

Child Services and Custody

This is a tough situation for everyone. No child should grow up without a mother. Yet many of these babies born addicted to drugs are put directly into child services. One can not argue that a woman who actively uses drugs during pregnancy is not fit to be a mother. However, it is also true that in many cases child protection services are notified but do not take protective measures specified in federal law. Furthermore, many states do not even require hospitals to report cases of NAS. The reasoning for this is controversial. To try to avoid stigmatizing mothers who are being treated for addiction or other medical problems, this lack of enforcement was put into place. For instance, if a mother is taking methadone under doctor supervision, that is generally a safer alternative then suddenly stopping opiate use altogether. However, this well-intended law ignores an unfortunate truth. Drug addicts do dangerous things. Many mothers or soon to be mothers addicted to heroin are not capable of raising a child. In many cases in which newborn babies with NAS died, it is found that the mother is using methadone or another drug that has been prescribed. This is a tough situation. I am interested for the nation to weigh in. What are your beliefs? Should all mothers with drug addiction have their babies taken away from them? Do new mothers with addiction problems deserve a second change?  If the baby dies, should that be considered murder? You tell us.