The New Prostitution

To start, give a listen to some or all of this podcast....its interesting. Then continue to my discussion...

Podcast: Sterilize Addicts 

 (~37min)

So the podcast starts by talking about the cost of child abuse in the United States and it costs more than they spend on education. This is interesting…I think the focus should be on how little is spent on education, but that is a story for another blog. Let us talk about this Barbara Harris.  The biological mother of 6 with 4 adopted black children of addicted mothers with her organization (CRACK) that intends to prevent child abuse…..or so she claims.

The claim is that you can end a cycle of neglect and abuse by preventing addicts from having children (she also wants to set up in Kenya to control people with AIDS so that a child does not have to live in that lifestyle). So she is bribing addicted women with drug money to give up their fertility. She buys their reproductive choice with $300 for getting sterilized and $200 for birth control. Plus there is a $50 referral fee if your friend goes along (I guess drug addicts prefer to  travel to the the sterilization clinic in pair). 

No rehab, no counselling….just a desperate woman being paid to do something to her body that she would not have done sober. Who knew saving children was all about buying off other people’s reproduction?! BTW, Medicaid pays for the actual procedure....

Even if you have become clean you were a drug addict so you should prevent yourself from getting pregnant anyway. Harris does not believe that reproduction is a right.

Harris' bus,Source:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/8071664/Drug-addict-sterilised-for-cash-but-can-Barbara-Harris-save-our-babies.html

Let's be honest, this mission is not about ending child abuse- it’s too simplistic of a response. It really is more about controlling the reproductive choices of women that Harris has determined are inferior to her. Face it, when women that are homeless and drug addicted get pregnant there are very few options for them. Heck, getting pregnant was most likely the result of their lack of life options. As well, more often than not, they are not allowed to keep their children and the babies are removed from their custody at birth. 

The other part of this is-- what about the healing time? Are they just sent back
home to their unsuitable lifestyle? What about infections? So many questions.

With the money that this group is putting into “eradicating child abuse” they could support a rehab and parenting centre so that these women can get a second a chance. Provide positive support rather than enable their habit.

But we all know this is not about eradicating child abuse. Child abusers do not always live on the street; they don’t always take drugs. When you expand your thinking you realize not all people that do drugs are child abusers. Some are great with children. Some have other supports and this helps them.

I think what outrages me more than everything else is that this is a process that is specifically designed to oppress women.

Men don’t have the option of being sterilized. What about the johns that take advantage of drug addicted women; the ones who give her $10 for bareback and don't pull out.?

What about those jerks that got her pregnant in the first place.

These assholes aren’t even being arrested. Now the women have another person using them for her own selfish superego. A woman nonetheless!

Now let us get back the whole idea of ending child abuse. How about we target the source of the abuse or the addiction? Or is that too complex and not enough of a television bite? I guess it would make people realize that there are several different environments that are not the ideal for raising a child. Or maybe Barbara just likes being in control of “crack whores”…does that make her a pimp?

Further information:

Is it legal to sterilize addicts: http://people.howstuffworks.com/is-it-legal-to-sterilize-addicts.htm

CRACK Uses Unethical Tactics to Stop Women with Substance Abuse Problems: http://www.cwpe.org/node/56