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Mother in custody for drug and alcohol use during pregnancy

25 August 2024

A woman from Rijsbergen is in custody for manslaughter and serious assault of her unborn child because she used drugs and alcohol during her pregnancy.

The woman is being held - together with her new born daughter - in a so-called 'mother-child cell' because of drug and alcohol use during her pregnancy. The woman is said to have used alcohol and illegal drugs (GHB and flakka) in the last five months of her pregnancy. According to the Public Prosecution Department she was addicted and the child was in danger.

The woman lived in Bergen op Zoom during her pregnancy. There she withdrew from institutions such as Mental Health Care, Council for Child Protection and Youth Protection Brabant. According to the Justice Department, she did not adhere to agreements and checks surrounding her pregnancy. The woman has three other children, all of whom have been placed outside the home.

According to a spokesperson of the Public Prosecution Department, the fact that mother and daughter are now staying together in a cell, while the mother is said to have endangered the unborn child, is because the danger to the child has passed. The danger was due to the illegal drug and alcohol use during her pregnancy. The child is under supervision. According to the spokesperson, mother and child have the right to grow up together.

The court ordered today that the woman and her baby to be released from prison next week and moved to an institution where they must cooperate with alcohol and drug tests. On November 19, the court will see how the case will continue. Meanwhile the Justice Department will consult experts on the effects of drugs and alcohol on an unborn child.

Sources: omroepbrabant.nl and nos.nl.

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