A woman in Mississippi no longer faces murder charges for using
cocaine while pregnant
— only
20 years in prison for manslaughter.
When a fetus does not develop into a human being, no existent human
being has been hurt, except perhaps the parents who may be
disappointed. It is absurd to punish this woman for possibly
disappointing herself.
When, however, the fetus does become a human being, anything that was
done to the fetus that results in a damaged human being is a real
wrong to a real person. Pregnant women should not take drugs that
might have this effect. (I don't know whether that woman's cocaine
use was really likely to cause any harm — it might depend on
when in pregnancy she used it.)
However, imprisoning women for this, even if it is for less than 20
years, is not a good way to discourage such practices.