[mollybot]

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/parenting...k-1226573097160

Honestly, words fail me. Can you say "underground births" ? The first thing that would happen is that at-risk women wouldn't go anywhere near medical help.....

What about actually providing real support services for these women ? As I mentioned in another thread, I had two friends who were very heavy drug users all the way through their pregnancies. They were supported by a specialist midwife Unit at KEMH and so were their babies when they were born. Two nicer, more well-adjusted teenagers you could not hope to meet now. Both women came off the drugs as a result of this support. These days you couldn't tell them apart from any of the other school Mums.

How does criminalising pregnant women help them or their children in any way ?? Oh, that's right, it doesn't ! All it would do is create an entire class of women who MOST need help, who would be too scared to ask for it.

[Redonk]

OP are you kidding? Have you ever cared for a baby born so hooked on drugs they scream in agony for most of their first 4-5 month of life? I have. I agree with the proposal but I know nothing will ever happen. Mothers like that should have their baby removed at birth and adopted out and have the woman steralised. No second chances.

[mollybot]

Oh wow. That's not a very compassionate response. And it completely ignores the point of my post - which is that these women will avoid all medical help if it means they'll be locked up.

My freind's babies went through withdrawal - it was managed by the Unit at KEHM and lasted @ 3 days. If you were caring for babies screaming in agony for months, you were doing it wrong.

"And have the women sterilised ?" Nice.

[fraidycat]

I often wonder when as a society we will stop focusing on the rights ofvthe individual over others. This story makes me think about what happens to these children after they are born...Why should they be behind the eight ball in life before they really get a chance. Op your friends are the exception nor the rule. Sadly...

[samagard]

It does seem like a very extreme way of dealing with the issue
However the stats I did hear on the news suggested that on the Gold Coast alone a baby is born every week with drug dependency.
It is highly likely to not be a once off. Midwives and Doctors having to deal with mothers who repeatedly put themselves before their children is a horrible reality.

[Fossy]

I think there has to be a middle ground, I don't see how you can 'lock women up' but, well I don't even know what the solution is. People wont attend appointments if they don't want to.

Just after New Years my partner and I resused a women who had overdosed on heroin in a 7/11 toilet. She was about 7 months pregnant she thought, she had not sought any medical assistance for her pregnancy, no GP appointment, no hospital appointment, no ultrasounds, nothing. She refused transport to hospital but it was heartbreaking, that poor baby will be born highly addicted to heroin, with any other unknown issues. It's very hard, but at the moment, her body, her choice. A huge amount of money will be spent on that baby for a NICU or SCN bed, maybe that money needs to be channeled elsewhere to prevent the bed ever being needed. I'm really not sure.

What do you think the solution is OP?

[Cranky Kitten]

*scowls* It'd be nice to be able to read the article without it saying there's an error...

But drug addiction is more a social problem than a criminal one. People don't just wake up one morning and go "oh, I think I'll become a drug addict" - there a reasons they go down that path. They need support to kick the habit and address the issues that led to it in the first place. Locking them up will only mean they won't seek that help out of fear.

Stupidest idea I've ever heard.

[~sydblue~]

There are so many kids that have been born to mothers with problems, be that drug, alcohol or whatever. Should those (and their children) who can and do change for the better, be punished because of those who don't.
Should a child not get to know their birth parent and live with them, simply because of the actions of some. That would also be an injustice.
Just adopting out these children at birth and sterilising the mother or parents, is sickening to think about.
No baby should have to be born addicted to anything, but before you make rules you have to look at all sides of things. Not just one and rule according to that.

[sarahs_three]

I totally agree with it!
Having a family member who is on drugs, not being able to get up and take kids to school. The kids have to feed themselfs.
The kids stay awake to all hours.
And yes child protection are aware, they just won't do crap!
It's not normal for a prep student to get suspended, not is it normal for her 10 year old to know how much her marijuana costs.
Unborn children should have rights too!

[mollybot]

But my point is that THEY GOT HELP, NOT THROWN INTO PRISON.

When will we as a society realise that criminalising drug addicts makes the situation worse, not better ?!

How will throwing their mothers into prison help ? If they are heroin addicts, they can be prescribed methadone; but if they are speed addicts, Doctors cannot legally prescribe them speed because they are addicted to it (at least not in WA). Both my friends were told NOT to stop taking the drugs (although both wanted to when they found out they were pregnant) because maternal withdrawal will kill the unborn baby. So putting a speed addict in prison "to protect her unborn child" will result in the death of that baby.

Similarly with alcohol addicts - how will going through alcohol withdrawal help that baby ? Oh, that's right, it won't, it will kill it.

This is a complex situation. Simplistic knee-jerk responses are unhelpful.

Women with drug and alcohol problems need help before they even become pregnant, but of course, there's NO money for that: whereas locking them up at a cost of tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars and looking "tough on crime" seems completely reasonable....

This post has been edited by mollybot: 08/02/2013, 10:23 AM