The care of women and newborns with prenatal drug and alcohol exposure has been widely recognized as a significant health and social issue. There are wide variations in the values, beliefs, and knowledge regarding perinatal substance misuse in health and child welfare professionals and when contrasted to the field of sociology. Sociology and critical social theory provide an alternative to a traditional medical perspective by using a contextual lens through which to move beyond the “medicalization” of health and illness toward an understanding that considers the historical, political, and social interpretations of perinatal substance misuse. However, the medical and critical social perspectives are often seen as incommensurable. This discussion of the health issues related to perinatal substance misuse and the analysis from a critical social perspective are provided as an attempt to move communities away from rhetoric and toward development of effective, supportive interventions that meet the health and social needs of substance-using women and their children.
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