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Ohio bill would protect drug-addicted pregnant women
By Marc Kovac
COLUMBUS
The Ohio Senate approved legislation that would block children’s services agencies from filing complaints against drug-addicted pregnant women who complete treatment and other requirements.
House Bill 325 passed on a unanimous vote late last week, with no opposition voiced from the floor.
Pending concurrence by the Ohio House on changes made in the Senate, the bill would be forwarded to Gov. John Kasich for his signature.
The legislation is aimed at encouraging expectant mothers to stop using drugs, especially at a time when the state is battling an epidemic of heroin addiction.
Under current law, doctors are required to report to children services agencies when pregnant women in their care are found to be using illegal drugs. Those women can lose custody of their newborn children as a result.
Under HB 325, those pregnant women would be encouraged to seek treatment. The legislation would bar children services agencies from removing children from the homes of mothers solely based on drug use during their pregnancies if the women complete treatment programs and prenatal care.
Such treatment would need to be sought within 20 weeks of pregnancies.
Sen. Bill Coley, R-West Chester, who headed the committee that considered the bill, said the law changes would provide “one last chance” for addicted expectant mothers “to come clean.”
“Will this work in every case? Of course not,” he said. “Will this get some people in there and seek treatment? Absolutely.”
Senate Minority Leader Joe Schiavoni of Boardman, D-33rd, successfully amended the legislation to add $2 million in spending during the current state fiscal year for the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.
“The department would give priority to programs that already exist and that could provide a template to be scaled statewide,” Schiavoni said. “For us, we believe that this is a small step but one that is absolutely necessary to do now. And I would hope when we come back after break this will be a No. 1 priority that we can really go through together, Republicans and Democrats, to deal with this opioid epidemic in our state.”