Drug addicts "paid" to be sterilised?

[polo_princess]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-11545519

Thoughts anyone? Since this is on Inside Out on tv atm, i thought it'd be an interesting one to discuss

Project Prevention is offering to pay £200 to any drug user in London, Glasgow, Bristol, Leicester and parts of Wales who agrees to be operated on.

 

[bluebaby]

I think it is a good idea, I do not think drug addicts should have children if they are intent on pursuing this type of lifestyle.

 

[kirmal12]

I listened to a debate on the radio in the car about this and i still don't really know what to to think of it. On the face of it, it seems a great idea but it still doesn't quite sit right with me somehow. Maybe if i'd seen a baby born with a addiction be it drink or drugs maybe i would change my mind. I just think of that minority that change there lives around and go on to have family with no problems.

 

[honey08]

well wot if they get clean ? settle down and want kids etc?

 

[polo_princess]

Is £200 the price of a child, of a family? Thats a weeks worth of drugs or an addict

Im still trying to get my head round it to form a proper opinion, its all a bit

 

[kirmal12]

The debate i listened to had a women on who's daughter is a addict, the daughter has already had 4 kids, one lives with the ladies other daughter, one lives with the lady (grandma), one has been adopted and one lives with there father. What kind of life is it for all those children? and that's only one family!!. There was 3-4 people in on the debate and i could relate to ALL the different opinions, there is no right or wrong or clear answer.

 

[Hollys_Twinny]

I dont think its a good idea. Drug users will do anything for a "fix" and its cruel IMO. I do think its a good idea for someone who refuses rehab and conceives child after child who need to be weaned off these drugs- then I think it should be compulsory. Its a tricky one. X

 

[PeanutBean]

OMG! I can't begin with how much I disagree! This is pure and simple eugenics. £200 would be better donated to a real addiction charity to support users to come off. I am horrified this could be taking place in the UK.

There's a programme, I think in Hong Kong though it was yonks ago I heard about it now so I might remember wrong, but thus programme is about paying the lower echelons of society not to have children and encouraging those with degrees to have them. Sorry I forget all the details. The principal is the same, people are left out by society and the reward is that they are sterilised. It's only a short step away Hunt though who thinks only the rich should have children...

 

[HannahGraceee]

So basically giving a drug addiction, who would do anything for drugs, money to buy more drugs

 

[RainbowDrop_x]

Hmmmm. Not sure I agree with this... IMHO I don't think people who are intent on pursing a drug fuelled life should be allowed to carry children potentially risking a poor innocent life to be born with that same addiction...At the same time I don't really see this as an incentive to help drug addicts quit

I think that £200 per user (and lets face it.. A LOT of drug users will jump at the chance of that amount of money) should be put into programmes that are more pushy with the support of quitting drugs..That said I know a person wont give up something unless THEY want to..But that money could be used for so much better things.

 

[Justagirlxx]

OMG! I can't begin with how much I disagree! This is pure and simple eugenics. £200 would be better donated to a real addiction charity to support users to come off. I am horrified this could be taking place in the UK.

There's a programme, I think in Hong Kong though it was yonks ago I heard about it now so I might remember wrong, but thus programme is about paying the lower echelons of society not to have children and encouraging those with degrees to have them. Sorry I forget all the details. The principal is the same, people are left out by society and the reward is that they are sterilised. It's only a short step away Hunt though who thinks only the rich should have children...

I completely agree. This is pure eugenics and it's scary..

 

[PeanutBean]

Having a child is a fundamental human right regardless. People in difficult situations should be supported out of them not cast out of the society that has failed them.

 

[kirmal12]

Having a child is a fundamental human right regardless. People in difficult situations should be supported out of them not cast out of the society that has failed them.

I agree totally but looking from another perspective, what about the human rights of the baby born to a addicted mother?. That baby will have to go through the first few weeks of life in hell and possibly damaged for life, is that a human right? or possibly be neglected to boot? or even make the same mistakes in there life, so the cycle carries on

In my perfect world, i would love all addicts to have the help and support they need to get off drugs but there is a minority of them who don't want to and couldn't give a shit about there unborn baby. Those mum's who are addicted and try their hardest to get off drugs for the sake of the baby needs to be applauded.

I think instead of giving them £200 they should use the money into research to make a injection to make them infertile until they are then clean and can give a child a stable home. I don't mean once a year jab or anything like that just one jab to make them infertile then another to make them fertile again.

 

[PeanutBean]

Well legally no the baby doesn't have a right, not until it's born anyway. The human right issue isn't really one up for debate, it's international law. If this was proposed as a government strategy there would be international outcry.

'Fixing' addiction by sterilisation is one of the least logical things I've heard in my life. People don't turn to drugs because of their genes; preventing those people from procreating will do nothing for society overall as there is no attempt to get to the root causes; and it's permanent. It's akin to capital punishment, there is no room for reform and no deeper understanding of motivation and journey that led to this point. IMO the only ethical response is support during pregnancy (for both parents, this isn't just a mum thing) and support for the child after it's been born by whatever means are appropriate.

If we don't live in an ideal supportive world then we should be striving to, not looking for unethical quick short term fixes.

 

[Justagirlxx]

Drug addicts will do just about anything to get more drugs. It is a physical addiction that they cannot stop on their own. My bestfriend growing up became addicted to prescription drugs when we were younger and he did alot of bad things to get drugs (stole from his family, etc) I can only imagine if they had this programme back then, I know for a fact his beautiful daughter would not be in the world today. He got clean 3 years ago and now has a full time job and has a 1 year old daughter whom I absolutely adore. I cant imagine if just because he made a few mistakes when he was younger he would be punished for the rest of his life with sterility, and she wouldnt be here today. Just because someone is a drug addict does not mean they should be sterilized. It means they need to get help. Its sad to think about how many people will manipulated into giving up their ability to have the most amazing gift we are given as human beings..our children.

 

[PeanutBean]

Totally agree justagirl, the ethics of this scheme are so off the wall in so many directions it's unreal! When I chatted with DH about it last night he compared it to that spate of paying homeless guys to fist fight for film. It's all just taking advantage of people in desperate situations.

 

[AppleBlossom]

This is wrong on so many levels. Not only is it ethically wrong to pay people off to sterlilise them but what are these drug addicts going to spend £200 on? Rehab? Rent? No. More drugs...

 

[v2007]

I think its a good idea.

When my friend had her baby in 1999, in the bed across from her was a baby that was screaming like i had never heard before, when i asked my friend what was wrong wth this womans baby, she said the Mum was a heroin addict and the baby had been born addicted to it.

It was awful this baby was in physical pain and the staff were struggling as the Mum had buggered off for a fix.

Addicts more often than not dont even care about their kids, they care more about getting a fix than feeding, dressing etc for their kids, so i do think it is a good idea.

The obvious cash incentive might work but this scheme started this year in the UK in May only 1 person had had it done so clearly its not caught on.

V xx

 

[kirmal12]

Is this programme wide spread in America as this where it's come from isn't it?

 

[PeanutBean]

The article said she had done it to 3500 addicts in the states.