Can a heroin father effect an unborn child?

Answer 1

No. Although heroin may cause miscarriages if pregnant women abuse it too often or too much, a father's sperm cell will not be affected in any way by heroin (though his sperm count may be), because heroin breaks down in the body into morphine and 6-monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM). Morphine is a naturally occurring endorphin and can be found in the brain in small amounts along with other endorphins, so really all Heroin does is increase the amount of a chemical the brain is already used to. The resulting addiction and physical effects of heroin ingestion (heroin only, this does not apply to adulterants) are simply due to the body reacting to increased levels of Morphine.

Answer 2

If I understand your question, you want to know whether a heroin user, who is holding a child, will somehow transfer any opiates, to the child (via skin contact, or by sneezing/coughing, etc.)? If this is what you are asking, the answer is no.

If the question is, instead: will a pregnant woman using heroin, adversely affect her unborn child? Then the answer is, absolutely yes. I enclose a link to information about drug addiction and its impact on pregnancy.