I personally think this is a good idea .........

[derbydan]

A BBC Inside Out special follows a highly controversial American charity that wants to pay drug addicts cash to be sterilised

Drug addicts across the UK are being offered money to be sterilised by an American charity.

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.

The first person in the UK to accept the cash is drug addict "John" from Leicester who says he "should never be a father".

The move has been criticised by some drug charities who work with addicts.

Project Prevention founder Barbara Harris admitted her methods amounted to "bribery", but said it was the only way to stop babies being physically and mentally damaged by drugs during pregnancy.

Drug treatment charity Addaction estimates one million children in the UK are living with parents who abuse drugs.

Pregnant addicts can pass on the dependency to the unborn child, leading to organ and brain damage.

Mrs Harris set up her charity in North Carolina after adopting the children of a crack addict.

Damage to children

Speaking to the BBC's Inside Out programme, she said: "The birth mother of my children obviously dabbled in all drugs and alcohol - she literally had a baby every year for eight years.

"I get very angry about the damage that drugs do to these children."

After paying 3,500 addicts across the United States not to have children, she is now visiting parts of the UK blighted by drugs to encourage users to undergo "long-term birth control" for cash.

John, a 38-year-old addict from Leicester, is the first person in the UK to accept money to have a vasectomy after being involved in drugs since he was 12.

He said: "It was something that I'd been thinking about for a long time.

"I won't be able to support a kid; I can just about manage to support myself."

Simon Antrobus, chief executive of Addaction, said while no-one wanted to see children brought up in a drug-using environment, there was no place for Project Prevention in the UK.

"It exploits very vulnerable people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol at probably the lowest point in their lives," he said.

The Reverend Robert Black, of Victory Outreach, which works with former addicts in east London, said he thought Project Prevention's aims were "very devious".

Reversible contraception

Maria Cripps, project manager at the Hackney Dovetail Centre which works with drug users and their carers, said: "I think Barbara uses some very extreme examples to get her point across. It might work in America but Great Britain is a very different country."

But Reverend Martin Blakebrough, director of Camden's Kaleidoscope Project in north London, said sterilisation was "worth considering" if it was right for the individual.

A spokesperson at the British Medical Association said: "The BMA's ethics committee does not have a view on the charity Project Prevention.

"As with all requests for treatment, doctors need to be confident that the individual has the capacity to make the specific decision at the time the decision is required.

"The BMA's ethics committee also believes that doctors should inform patients of the benefits of reversible contraception so that the patients have more reproductive choices in the future."

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

[uttoxram75]

I can see why you think this is a good idea but really its only tickiling the issue of drugs.

Looking at the bigger picture, one question always puzzles me -

How come everyone (in my town at least), knows exactly who the main dealer is, where he lives, what car he drives, who he associates with, yet he is allowed to operate with impunity by the police.

Occasionally the police will clampdown on a few scum at the bottom end of the chain but the guy supplying them all drives round in a huge 4x4 with blacked out windows, lives in a £1million house and has not "worked" for 20 years.

With all the resources available to the police, it is safe to assume that they could build up a case against this man in a very short space of time.

So why is this allowed to happen...

Is it the local police turning a blind eye?

Is it the Chief Constable telling the local plod to leave him alone?

Is it the Home Secretary telling the police top brass not to have these gangsters locked up? If so, why?

Perhaps its just my area where this is allowed to happen - I doubt it very much though.

[ladyram]

I think it is a good idea too.

It disgusts me that their habit is passed onto those unborn babies who will have to endure much suffering as a result. Some people are calling it a bribe - of course it's a bloody bribe but if it prevents needless suffering caused by brain and organ damage then I'm all for it. A lot of users won't care if it's a bribe or not - they will just see the money as a way to get their next fix. Only the ones with a conscience will give it any serious thought and I hope it's the right decision for them.

[froggg]

I can see why you think this is a good idea but really its only tickiling the issue of drugs.

Looking at the bigger picture, one question always puzzles me -

How come everyone (in my town at least), knows exactly who the main dealer is, where he lives, what car he drives, who he associates with, yet he is allowed to operate with impunity by the police.

Occasionally the police will clampdown on a few scum at the bottom end of the chain but the guy supplying them all drives round in a huge 4x4 with blacked out windows, lives in a £1million house and has not "worked" for 20 years.

With all the resources available to the police, it is safe to assume that they could build up a case against this man in a very short space of time.

So why is this allowed to happen.

Is it the local police turning a blind eye?

Is it the Chief Constable telling the local plod to leave him alone?

Is it the Home Secretary telling the police top brass not to have these gangsters locked up? If so, why?

Perhaps its just my area where this is allowed to happen - I doubt it very much though.

perhaps you assume too much, how can you be sure they know about this person, lets hope someone has the balls to speak to the police on the quiet.

[J.Kickstones]

I think it is a good idea too.

It disgusts me that their habit is passed onto those unborn babies who will have to endure much suffering as a result. Some people are calling it a bribe - of course it's a bloody bribe but if it prevents needless suffering caused by brain and organ damage then I'm all for it. A lot of users won't care if it's a bribe or not - they will just see the money as a way to get their next fix. Only the ones with a conscience will give it any serious thought and I hope it's the right decision for them.

I agree, anybody that drinks alcohol especially whilst pregnant, causing untold damage to the unborn child, should be sterilised, its criminal. A lot of them are social parasites who claim their giro and off to the offee / dealer then the park bench. Why not put a stands outside benifits office / off licence/ parks and offer them a sterilisation cheque?

Also, while at it, make sterilisation compulsory for drunk driving convictions, there's to many innocent folk being killed.

[Perky1106]

I think it's wrong.

Why not use £200 to put towards their rehab rather than sterilise them?

[froggg]

only in america joe:rolleyes:

[Dangerous]

I dont agree with this .Im sick of seeing cash incentives for addicts.Last year,after 20 years of smoking I packed up,not for a cash prize but for quality of life.If people value their life they should do it off their own back,not for money.

[Boycie]

You could put the £200 towards adopting a kid from Africa?

[Dangerous]

True.Im very keen on upping the immigration rate in England.I dont think we have enough foreigners living here.

[Boycie]

I'm off down the clinic tomorrow for my £200. I dunna want no more anklebiters.

[Alex W]

Try rehab first.

If not, then why not. Although it'd be better to pay them in food, paid bills etc.

It's clearly going to go on their drink/drug of choice.