Fund Programs for Parents That Are Free From Stigma and Racism

What You Need To Know

• Three decades of evidence now reveal that the widely discussed effects of in utero exposure to crack-cocaine have been exaggerated or simply inaccurate in the literature, media and policy discussions.*

• The “crack baby" a racist myth that enabled the nation to turn its attention away from the structural causes of poor health outcomes in children, such as poverty and structural racism, and instead blame their mothers.(1, 2, 3) 

• “A recent systematic review following cocaine prenatal exposure found “no consistent negative association between prenatal cocaine exposure and physical growth, developmental test scores, or receptive or expressive language.”* Any provider stating otherwise should be disqualified from funding. 

Where to Go for More Information

• Academy of Perinatal Harm Reduction

• Pregnancy and Substance Use : A Harm Reduction Toolkit

• Expecting Better: Improving Health and Rights for Pregnant Women Who Use Drugs

• Clinical Guidance for Treating Pregnant Women with Opioid Use Disorder and their Infants

• Elephant Circle

• Racial Discrimination in Child Welfare Is a Human Rights Violation—Let’s Talk About It That Way

• Child Welfare and Substance Use Disorder Treatment Statistics

• Shattered Bonds: The Color Of Child Welfare

• Pregnancy Justice We defend the civil and human rights of pregnant people, focusing on poor people, people of color, and people who use drugs