Epigenetics and biopolitics: moving away from using punitive policies to address opioid use in pregnancy

Opioid use in pregnancy is the latest in a long list of social issues in the United States that is being addressed with punitive policies that disproportionately affect women of color and their families and do not focus on environmental factors contributing to increasing drug use in pregnancy. Evidence is emerging demonstrating that these punitive policies are not achieving their intended goals. Additionally, these policies continue a trend of pitting maternal and fetal interests against each other. Historically, bioethics has divided conversations on biomedical and environmental ethics. However, recent merging of these fields may facilitate the biopolitical translation of emerging epigenetics research of substance use in pregnancy. This paper reviews the ineffectiveness of punitive policies in reducing drug use in pregnancy and related negative health outcomes for both mothers and infants. It demonstrates how these policies perpetuate racial injustice through existing systemic oppressive structures. Leveraging epigenetics to draw a link between the environment and the maternal-fetal dyad can help members of the scientific community advocate for policies that promote equitable and justice-based public health interventions as well as relieve the maternal fetal conflict.

Grantor dc:publisher

Temple University. Libraries

Year dc:date.issued

2024

Author dc:creator

• Rivera-Ulloa, Kathelyn Andrea

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Strand, Nicolle K.

• Public policy
• Ethics
• Environmental justice
• Biopolitics
• Epigenetics
• Opioid use
• Pregnancy
• Punitive policies
• Urban bioethics

Statement dc:rights

• IN COPYRIGHT- This Rights Statement can be used for an Item that is in copyright. Using this statement implies that the organization making this Item available has determined that the Item is in copyright and either is the rights-holder, has obtained permission from the rights-holder(s) to make their Work(s) available, or makes the Item available under an exception or limitation to copyright (including Fair Use) that entitles it to make the Item available.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12613/10266

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarshare.temple.edu:20.500.12613/10266