James. said:
This case has nothing to do with "who can and can not breed". It has to do with adding contractual repercussion to those irresponsible/dire enough to have children while addicted to OPIATES.
Has anyone against this proposal stopped to think of the absolute shit one is setting a child up for in dependently using this class of drug during term of pregnancy? The "who is and who isn't fit to raise the child after birth" question that keeps popping up here is only half the issue of this particular policy. What we've failed to address here is the reality of a Mother bringing a child into the world to face his/her first week of life in severe opiate withdrawal. Beyond that - She brings into the world a child whos term in the womb was (often[OR]always) defined by heroin like intoxication. A child who is exponentially prone to lifelong addiction, should they eventually delve into experimentation with opiates themselves.
Let alone upbringing and term of pregnancy; during pre-conception - It's the shared responsibility of both potential parents to prevent this kind of tragedy from unfolding. Yet a lack of strength and responsibility in either half of the parental unit during this time can cause the whole to fail. And after those genuine, heartbreaking stories of why it failed - the best option for the welfare of the child, (unless the Mother can then quickly and safely kick methadone treatment), is clear.
It then becomes nothing but the unfortunate duty of the state to provide the best chance that this new and absolutely innocent child can get in his/her earliest and most important developmental stages. After, of course - nursing the newlyborn through a week of torment that so many chosen, adult addicts can't even handle. I also strongly believe that this should be the case for children born with pronounced and detectable Fetal alcohol syndrome, perhaps even more so.
"Welcome to the World, my precious baby. Sorry I didn't have it in me to spare you of this, but you're still MY child; and no one can take you away from me"
"I'm sorry I couldn't support your Mother and make the right decisions during her treatment... but it happened, and you're my child; and even if I can't make the right decisions from here on in - no one can take you away from us"
WHY should scenarios like this ever be considered acceptable?
[...]
We should love to hear the against all odds stories of the single Mother to be who sacrificed methadone treatment early in her term; (though questions regarding the increased chance of miscarriage and sustained exposure of the fetus to opiates resonate)
At the same time, we should love to hear the socially redeeming stories of parent(s) who allowed the initial tragedy to take place; yet who eventually reformed themselves in love & diligence to eventually re-claim their child.
And these stories are possible, and do happen. So support the stories that work, rather than the grim opposites that so often dot both our most hyper-liberal and most uncaring-conservative societies. An inbetween solution is desperately needed to strike balance and promote the former - and this proposal is imaginative enough to possibly strike such a form.
Dave Soviet and Raybeez have brought up excellent issues that need further exploration.. and I wish I had the time to do so tonight. Darthmom, your posts are outright wonderful. Yet in between these few contributions, we've the usual and unimaginative one-liners:
-Fearmongering of the slippery slope.
-The Godwin Strawmen.
-The simplistically abstract and the blindfolded constitutionalism; all unwilling for an extended and individual examination of why these quick-parrotings may or may not be appropriate for this particular, real life issue.
...And all in all, so much talk about "compassion". How about compassion for the child, before the addict.
Anger at the move to stop drug users from reproducing during addiction treatment? How about "anger at the unmoving defense for scales of irresponsibility". C'mon guys. This stops being an issue of individual rights for the parent once they can't even uphold the well-being of a completely dependent CHILD.
