278 - Cancelled - Ethical considerations and implications of addressing and treating substance use during pregnancy

Session Description: Currently, 24 states and the District of Columbia consider substance use during pregnancy as child abuse and 3 states legally uphold civil commitment. Half of the states require health care professionals to report suspected substance use during pregnancy and 8 states require mandatory drug testing for suspected substance use during pregnancy. Yet only 19 states provide substance use treatment for pregnant women. The opioid epidemic has resulted in a 4x increase in the number of pregnant women delivering with opioid use disorder from 1999-2014 and 7x increase in babies experiencing neonatal abstinence syndrome from 2000-2014. These policies and statistics raise significant ethical considerations for the health care provider that impact the mother and baby. The four principles of ethics including beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy and justice will be explored from the lens of a healthcare provider. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the potential conflicting principles and how it can guide decisions when faced with a pregnant woman using substances. We will be discussing the ethical principles and challenges impacting care of a pregnant woman using substances and determining how a clinician can support and demonstrate autonomy of the pregnant patient.