ABSTRACT
Fetal abuse is an umbrella term that has been used to describe a wide variety of behaviors. What the actions have in common is that they cause harm, usually accidental harm, to a fetus. After a brief definition of fetal abuse, the chapter presents statistics related to the incidence of fetal abuse in the United States and the possible causes of this type of maltreatment. The chapter then covers the effects of some common teratogens on fetal development (e.g., alcohol, cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, nicotine, and heroin). Next, the chapter focuses on responses to fetal abuse ranging from treatment to mandated reporting to criminal prosecution. The motivation behind the punitive response to this type of maltreatment is also addressed. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the link between prenatal exposure to harmful substances and subsequent child maltreatment.
