Comments on: NYT Examines Prosecutions Of Drug Use Among Pregnant Women In Alabama

By: nathan harris

nathan harris — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:55:42 +0000

Leighanne is right. When you are dealing with individuals you can’t expect to use a cookie cutter approach. Not everyone will succeed but you can try and give them their best chance. If you are trying to help an addict, keeping thoughts of failure at bay and going for the goal of freedom from the effects drugs and alcohol can help the counselor with the addict. At Meditox I would assume you are trying to help a person get stable and off of opiates without having to be in as much discomfort as cold turkey. Most addicts would need rehab to remain drug free after that. Drug free isn’t nirvana, but it is a step in the right direction.

By: Leighanne Foley

Leighanne Foley — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 19:03:36 +0000

Absolutely Valeria. Your thoughts are right on. Can you only imangine tossing an infant, that is perhaps hours old, into this thing we call a system? So we have a mother who’s an addict in jail, and her infant in some other institution. Now damn, I know I’m not Einstein but I’m pretty certain if we could ask the baby what they wanted/needed hands down it would be mommy. Addict or not baby already loves mom, just as mom already loves baby. Splitting the two up is dangerous in the long run. So I say, 1). Keep them together, hmmmmmm, how natural. 2). Medically withdraw both with understanding, non-judgemental professionals that specialize in addiction. 3). Provide housing, education, and addiction relapse prevention classes for as long as the woman/baby needs. Sure sounds expensive but then so is non-stop jail-time for a never-ending addict, foster parent after foster parent for the baby, counceling throughout life, etc. I think we should at least try for moms and babies going through this. After all, in less than a year those who really wanted the help and utilized all the tools they learned through hard work will be just fine.

By: Valeria

Valeria — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 16:48:42 +0000

Exactly, Leighanne. Threat of prosecution is rarely a deterrent in the face of addiction. Very little is, really, and pushing punishment instead of focusing on the built-in incentive to get and stay clean (in this case, YOUR CHILD) is ridiculous and a waste of state and federal resources. It’s not just getting help but having open access to assistance that is nonjudgmental, nonthreatening, and efficient with follow-up aftercare, parenting classes, in-home visits, etc. And like you said, spending a little time finding out the whole story behind what’s happening with the woman in question may be a bette use of resources than throwing everyone in a cage, possibly forcing their child into the system, and ultimately creating more expense for the state while making the personal problems for the woman and the child exponentially worse.

By: Leighanne Foley

Leighanne Foley — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 08:39:37 +0000

thanxxxxx

By: Chloe F.

Chloe F. — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 08:24:08 +0000

WOW………..well said Leighanne