Long-Term Birth Control Program Aimed At Drug Users Should Include Counseling Requirement, Editorial Says

Main Category: Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs
Article Date: 24 Dec 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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A program offered by the national not-for-profit group Project Prevention that provides $300 to drug users and alcoholics if they undergo procedures for long-term birth control "seems to be suggesting to those who suffer from substance addiction that there is no hope they will recover and be capable of raising a child," an Arizona Daily Star editorial states. By "preventing conception," the program aims to "reduce the number of fetuses damaged by exposure to drugs or alcohol, and to reduce the number of children born to incompetent, neglectful addicted parents," according to the editorial.

The editorial asks, "Do the ends justify the means?" It states that although addicts are not forced to participate, "we wonder if drug- or alcohol-addicted people are genuinely capable of making an informed decision about their long-term health." The editorial says, "While there may be no overt coercion, $300 is a lot of money to many hard-core addicts." It concludes, "We believe that this program should require addicts to be referred to an objective counselor who could help them sort through the long-term implications as they decide whether to participate" (Arizona Daily Star, 12/22).

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