There is no national policy on assisting drug-using pregnant mothers nor on the children they produce. This paper looks at the issue of "crack-cocaine" and mothers who give birth to children after using drugs during pregnancy. It attempts to lay out what is known, and it puts forth "best guesses" regarding helping children born affected by drugs. Several aspects of the crack-cocaine epidemic and the "crack kids" problem are outlined under the headings: (1) How Great Is the Risk? (2) What Are the Costs? (3) Some Successful Programs; (4) Legal and Ethical Issues; and (5) A New Version of the Social Contract: The "Prevention Contract." Among the conclusions are the following: while some children cannot be helped, many can be brought to normal or near normal functioning by highly intensive (and expensive) programs; increased use of crack by females has produced increased rates of veneral disease and Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) among women who turn to prostitution to support their habit; only a handful of drug treatment centers around the country will accept pregnant women; there is some conflict between the goals of prevention and the goals of treatment; and there are virtually no reliable state data on children born with dangerous drugs in their bloodstream. (Contains 26 references.) (LL)