Drug Addicted Mothers. Your say?!

Katie - posted on 09/23/2012

this makes me sick as well and sadley the state can do nothing untill the child is born. If at birth the mother or child test positive then cps can step in, but the hospital would have to know to do the drug test to begin with.

Sarah - posted on 01/03/2012

Addiction is a complicated thing. It makes the person care more about getting their substance (drugs, alcohol, gambling, etc) than anything else in their life, including their family, body, and children. Unfortunately, the person also has to be ready to give up their addiction for any sort of treatment to work. The habit needs to be tackled (what brings on the use?) and the addiction (physical need for it). Usually people use the term "hitting bottom" when referring to someone being ready to rehabilitate. For some, this may be losing a job, for others, losing a child, and still for others, losing their life. Also unfortunately, in our society, fetuses (using the legal term for a baby who has not yet been born) do not have rights. If I had my way, this would be different. Having cared for a baby in my line of work that was the 6th heroin addicted baby to the same mother, I would make it mandatory that any mother who has even 1 drug addicted infant have an IUD inserted until it can be proven that she has at least a year of sobriety. I don't think permanent sterilization is fair because there are women who are able to turn their lives around and go on to have healthy children and become great moms, but I do think that future drug addicted children should be prevented. I think if a woman is found to be pregnant and on drugs, that she should be incarcerated until after her pregnancy, go through rigorous treatment and detox, have mandatory observation of children who have ongoing difficulties such as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or babies on morphine to help detox them, and also to prevent them from using the rest of their pregnancy. I also think that more treatment and detox centers need to be built. In our province, there is on average a 3 week wait just for someone to get into detox. Often the moment for that person to want to quit has passed by that time. I think provinces need to invest more dollars into treating the disease of addiction rather than treating the overdoses, drug addicted babies, and other medical conditions that can occur as a result.

Melissa - posted on 01/18/2011

I used to drugs really bad and my honest opinion is if I could quit cold turkey when I thought I could possibly be pregnant anyone can. Just the thought of hurting an innocent baby is enough to stop the action itself

Maria - posted on 01/16/2011

you know what i saw this tyra episode about mothers that smoke weed. and they were like every mother needs to smoke weed. and they are high while the kids are awake they are driving them and stuff what do you think about that?