The Sad Reality

A friend of mine sent me a link to a local news report when the Project Prevention van visited her area. I had initially titled this piece “An Uncomfortable Subject” because to be honest I’ve been sitting on this story for over a week now trying to figure out an official TDA stance on the issue and that was the best I could come up with… it’s uncomfortable.

In a nutshell, Project Prevention offers a cash reward to drug addicts and prostitutes if they will go on long term birth control like an IUD or be sterilized. The goal of course is avoid pregnant substance abusers and children born that have to be withdrawn from drugs.

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It is hard to discuss coerced (cash reward) birth control and sterilization without the subject of eugenics coming up, so no wonder the term “uncomfortable” came to mind. However I guess the sad reality is that many drug addicted mothers place a priority on their addiction instead of their pregnancy. I have recent, personal experience with this subject and so I have to side with Project Prevention on this one. In fact, they use the very same words on their website to explain this point- the sad reality.

Even though it makes me uncomfortable, I would go as far as saying that I give my full endorsement to Project Prevention. The founder, Barbara Harris, has adopted four children from a drug addicted mother and cared for them through the withdrawal process and ensuing health issues. This is an issue she knows a lot about. Although opponents accuse her program of many things, it seems to me that she has no other goal than to avoid babies being born as addicts.

Our main goal is to ensure that addicts and alcoholics are using birth control, and that we reduce the number of substance exposed births to zero.

I think this is a worthy cause and deserving of a TDA salute.