“Basically every safety protocol we have in place to protect against overdose, parents can't access”: Mothers who use unregulated drugs’ experiences of dual public health emergencies

While mothers and their experiences are heterogeneous, gendered distinctions impact provision and experience of health care, harm reduction and social supports. Mothers who use drugs must navigate health and care responsibilities, exacerbated by pandemic-related health barriers, while simultaneously inhabiting an unremitting state of fear of punitive measures or post-apprehension despair. The continued social exclusion of mothers who use drugs, propelled by moralizing discourses framing them as deviant and consequentially undeserving, can have devastating health impacts (on individuals and communities) yet remain under-addressed.