Vera's homework (new proposal)

Thesis: Should Drug Addicts be Paid to Get Sterilised?

Abstract

A program of Project Prevention——a US based organisation, which pays money to women who addicted to drugs and alcohol in order to stop them being pregnant. As the program becoming successful and the organisation receiving more funds, criticism has been rising around the America.

Therefore, this essay will take consideration of whether the drug addicts should be paid to get sterilisation or not——from the aspects of the organisation, the drug addicts and society.

Firstly, it will be introduced in the essay about the background of the Project Prevention. Then, it will analyse whether the organisation should pay drug addicts to get sterilisation from different respects. Finally, it will give conclusions of the proposal and feasible suggestions for the organisation and drug addicts.

Introduction

Drug and alcohol addicts will be paid if they are willing to get sterilisation——under a program called CRACK ( Children Requiring a Caring Kommunity) founded by a US based organisation：Project Prevention. The organisation which started in 1997 by a housewife and a former waitress named Barbara Harris in Orange County, California, after she adopted four children from the same drug-addicted mother. " Children born to drug addicts regularly suffer emotional scars and medical disabilities and end up in foster care at taxpayers' expense," she said. (The New York Times, Jan. 6,2003) The main objective of the organisation is to reduce the number of substance exposed births to zero. Since the programe was started, 3,242 drug addicts received their mony for sterilisation. Most of them were women and almost half of them were permanently sterilised. Also, there were 35 men who have had vasectomies. Critics has been rising about ethical concerns of this porgrame. Therefore, this essay will analyse the benefits and the critics of the CRACK programe in different aspects and then it will give suggestions of a better way to treat drug addicts.

Benefits of the CRACK Program

——Stopping children from suffering physical and mental illness;

——Stopping drug-addicted parents from breaking their hearts because they can raise their children;

——Encouraging drug addicts to give birth after they get rid of drugs and alcohol;

——Saving taxpayers' money

Critics of the CRACK Program

——Hitleresque eugenics and discrimination: drug addicts also have right to give birth;

——Drug addicts may rather use the money they get from the organisation to buy more drugs than pay for treatments;

——Public funding should be used in a more effective way to treat drug addicts

Conclusion

——The programe does help lots of people to get rid of drugs and alcohl, and reduce the births of unhealthy children;
——Ethical concern: drug addicts shouldn't be prevented from giving birth;

——The organisationg should work out a better way to stop drug users spend the sterilisation money on more drugs and help drug-addicted parents to get rid of drugs , so they can be with their children.


References: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8500285.stm

http://dir.salon.com/mwt./feature/2003/04/08/crack/index.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/06/nyregion/sterilization-offer-to-addicts-reopens-ethics-issue.html?pagewanted=1

http://www.projectprevention.org/