A Kaohsiung court jailed a couple for smoking meth around their infant son, but ruled that drug use during pregnancy cannot be punished because a fetus is not legally a person.

• The couple smoked meth in a sealed rented flat for months, leaving their baby son breathing heavy second-hand fumes.
• Tests on the boy's hair showed high drug levels and signs of stunted growth, and social services placed him in emergency care.
• The father got 14 months as a repeat drug offender; the mother got a year, suspended, with mandatory parenting classes and a ban on any violence at home.
• Prosecutors also charged the mother over using drugs up to 12 hours before giving birth, but the court said criminal law only protects people already born.
• The father's appeal, pleading family hardship, was thrown out; the sentence stands.

Outlook: The ruling leaves a clear gap in Taiwan's law on drug harm to unborn children, and the case can still be appealed further.