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.