Argumentative Essay: Should There Be Mandatory Public Health?

Public health is not a topic that can be easily defined or discussed, because of its broad nature and numerous meanings. To one-person public health may mean keeping air quality safe, but to another, it may mean how food is properly handled in restaurants. These examples are only two of countless ways the community is kept safe by the work of public health officials and policies. Although some individuals may believe public health is not important or does not directly affect them, nearly every aspect of life is made possible because of public health officials solving health issues. One recent issue that is particularly troubling is the number of newborns being born addicted to an illegal substance. This problem may not seem as important as …show more content…
In this scenario, the mother and baby would have to receive treatment as a requirement. With this option, the fear that mothers will relapse is not nearly as high because of the consequences involved, and expecting women should not be as afraid to show at their prenatal appointments since testing positive for drugs will not immediately result in prosecution. This will be especially beneficial to mothers who want to be rehabilitated, but need extra support to get there. One of the few drawbacks with this strategy would be the amount of money the state may or may not save. If some mothers do not comply with the mandatory treatment the state may end up spending more money prosecuting than it would offering treatment, but this is only if the mothers do not comply. The scenario which plans for drug testing, mandatory treatment, and possible prosecution would produce the maximum amount of benefits for all participants. The fear of prosecution may prevent mothers from relapsing or from repeating drug use during another pregnancy, and would save the state as well as taxpayers, an incredible amount of money by preventing these drug-addicted