MONTGOMERY, Alabama
An Alabama appeals court has ruled that a law designed to crack down on parents who expose children to methamphetamine labs can also be used to prosecute women who take illegal drugs during their pregnancies.
The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals said its ruling is the first to address one of about 40 prosecutions of new mothers that have been brought by district attorneys across the state. The Legislature originally passed the law to crack down on parents who run methamphetamine labs in homes, but prosecutors soon used it to prosecute pregnant women using illegal drugs.
Attorney General Luther Strange says the ruling affirms the value of life, including the lives of unborn children.
Defense attorney Carmen Howell says she will appeal to the Alabama Supreme Court.
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