Care for Incarcerated Pregnant People With Opioid Use Disorder: Equity and Justice Implications

Chris Ahlbach, Carolyn Sufrin, Rebecca Shlafer

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

With the simultaneous rise in maternal opioid use disorder (OUD) and the incarceration of pregnant people in the United States, we must ensure that prisons and jails adequately address the health and well-being of incarcerated pregnant people with OUD. Despite long-established, clear, and evidence-based recommendations regarding the treatment of OUD during pregnancy, incarcerated pregnant people with OUD do not consistently receive medication treatment and are instead forced into opioid withdrawal. This inadequate care raises multiple concerns, including issues of justice and equity, considerations regarding the legal and ethical obligations of the provision of health care, and violations of the medical and legal rights of incarcerated people. We offer recommendations for improving care for this often-ignored group.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)576-581
Number of pages6
JournalObstetrics and gynecology
Volume136
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 1 2020

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Dr. Sufrin is supported by a grant from NIH (NIDA- 5K23DA045934-02). Chris Ahlbach is supported by a grant from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, through UCSF-CTSI Grant Number TL1 TR001871. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. All rights reserved.

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