By Simone Lee

“A lot of people don’t know about this issue; they disregard it,” said Sanjana Dandu, a freshman from the legislative branch.

Her bill proposed for pregnant women to be criminally charged for knowingly using alcohol while pregnant.

“They believe actually leaving marks on a child is, well the child doesn’t necessarily have to be born yet for it to be endangered,” Dandu said.

She said that both abuse on a child when the mother is not pregnant and when that mother is, is “basically the same thing.” She added that either way the mother is still putting that child’s life in danger.

She stated that she has actually seen movies and TV shows that show the romanticization of using alcohol while being pregnant. When asked why she chose to do a bill proposal about such a controversial topic and she stated that she knew the topic was “extremely debatable” and  she “wanted to be noticed and for a freshman, make her voice more pronounced.”

“As soon as I got up to the stand I started shaking a lot, I was nervous,” Dandu said.  “I had done all this research, and I knew so much about the topic so I wasn’t completely horrified. I believe anyone can [argue a bill] it if they put the effort into the research.”

However, she did have some complaints about the legislative branch.

“I really wish we had more time for our closing remarks, it’s where you can review all your points and can defend yourself to the best of your ability,” Dandu said.