OH and WV lawmakers look to protect drug dependent newborns with passed legislation

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) -- "If they care about life this is an arena where we need a lot of attention," Ohio Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-9) said.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, every 25 minutes a baby is born with opioid withdrawal. It’s just one consequence of America’s drug crisis.

"Just imagine starting your life out with the tremors, the shakes, the sensitivity to light, to touch, to sound," West Virginia Congressman Evan Jenkins (R-WV-3) added.

Representatives Marcy Kaptur and Evan Jenkins sit on opposite sides of the aisle. But they both represent some of the hardest-hit areas in the country for drug abuse.

“Ohio is one of the top 10 states in terms of the number of drug addicted babies and drug addicted moms," Kaptur added.

Kaptur was a cosponsor on Jenkins' bill, 'Nurturing and Supporting Healthy Babies Act.' It passed in Congress as a part of larger drug reform package.
President Obama signed it into law. Now, these lawmakers say, families will see help almost immediately.

"We will see as time goes by the reports issued the models more clearly identified the regulatory burdens identified, broken down," Jenkins added.

The law expands research of babies born with neonatal abstinence syndrome or exposure to opioids during pregnancy. It also directs the Government Accountability Office to identify any federal obstacles to care for these newborns. Help, these lawmakers say, was a long time coming.

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