T.E.N. Special Report, aka-Project Prevention

I think this will be a very controversial blog, but to hell with it.

I just stumbled upon a website for this non-profit organization called Project Prevention. (http://projectprevention.org). I read the information on that site and I was captivated. It was founded by Barbara Harris in 1997 who, along with her husband, had adopted four drug children. She knew firsthand how hard it is caring for the children who had to deal with withdrawal and developmental issues. She tried to rally for some helo in Congress, but that didn't go all the way. Therefore, she founded Project Prevention.

So what does Project Prevention do?

Well, they offer drug & alcohol addicted parents $200 to $300 to get long term or permanent birth control.

Opponents of Project Prevention feel it is is taking away the right to reproduce. However, after reading around the web, I think there is nothing wrong with what they are doing. First of all, there is no strongarming. Nobody threatens you and if you object, you get left alone. One interesting candidate was a 40 year old crackhead who recently had her 17th child in 24 years. There is no telling what became of all her kids, but a business card was passed to her offering the services of Project Prevention. I can only hope she took them up on the offer.

Further research revealed more information that made me supportive of that organization. One story told of a premature crack-baby who couldn't eat without a feeding tube and needed another tube to breathe. Half of his brain was dead and it took a team of nurses to help him stay alive. the cost to care for him...$4 million dollars. This total was tabulated after his death at age three. Had his mother accepted that $300, that could have been avoided. Sure, all life is precious, but who wants to watch that little boy suffer for three years while his mother is out in the abyss...possibly procreating AGAIN because she turned tricks for a $10 crack rock?

Oh, and who foots the bill for that little boy's care? We all do.

This is not an attack on a person's right to reproduction. I also feel that this is not an organization created to ensure that every child born has to be in a perfect environment. I think that this organization is advocating on behalf of the children. All children have the right to be born healthy. I understand that sometimes, children are born with illnesses and defects and their mothers did everything they could to be healthy. Truthfully, things do happen, as we all know. Healthy mothers have given birth to children with bith defects and sicknesses. However, if you continue to drink and do drugs while pregnant, you are being selfish. You are putting your needs above your child's.

Now, there's another argument from people who think that giving them money is contributing to their habit. They say that the average addict really can't do any better and instead of giving them money for them to get long term or permanent birth control, they should offer them treatment. Well, let me tell you something...until THEY are ready to get clean, you can't bribe or threaten them enough to get right. That applies to people addicted to crack, alcohol, shopping, sex, food or whatever. The decision to seek a better way of life rests with that person. However, many of these drug addicts are still getting pregnant while heavily addicted and bringing critically ill children into this world for everyone (but them) to care for. Is that fair?

So, in closing, I think that this is one of the best non-religious, non-profit programs I've seen in a long time. Of course with anything, there will be people against it. At this point, I would love for this to be in action around the country. Maybe we can cut down the number of children born addicted to drugs. I think that we have to be more proactive in our communities to get problems solved like this. If more people like Barbara Harris stood up for what they believed in and actually DID something, imagine how much better things could be.

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