Ethical Issues with Project Prevention
Project Prevention Offers Sterilisation To The Drug Addicts
International Corporate Responsibility
November 26, 2010
http://www.projectprevention.org/objectives/
Charity offers UK drug addicts £200 to be sterilised.
Drug addicts across the UK are being offered money to be sterilised by Project Prevention-an American charity. Charity is offering £200 to any drug user in London, Bristol, Leicester and parts of Wales 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 that work with addicts. Project Prevention founder Barbara Harris admitted her methods amounted to be ‘bribery’, saying that 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. Barbara Harris set up her charity in North Carolina after adopting the children of a crack addict (“BBC news”, 2010).
Damage to children: Mrs. Harris 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”. Charity has already paid to 3500 addicts across the U.S. to be sterilised, now visiting parts of the UK to encourage users to undergo the surgery for cash. John, 38, is the first in the UK to accept the money to have a Vasectomy after being involved in drugs since he was 12. He said: “ It was something that I’d been thinking 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: “No one wanted to see children brought up in a drug-using environment but no place for Project Prevention
International Corporate Responsibility
November 26, 2010
http://www.projectprevention.org/objectives/
Charity offers UK drug addicts £200 to be sterilised.
Drug addicts across the UK are being offered money to be sterilised by Project Prevention-an American charity. Charity is offering £200 to any drug user in London, Bristol, Leicester and parts of Wales 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 that work with addicts. Project Prevention founder Barbara Harris admitted her methods amounted to be ‘bribery’, saying that 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. Barbara Harris set up her charity in North Carolina after adopting the children of a crack addict (“BBC news”, 2010).
Damage to children: Mrs. Harris 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”. Charity has already paid to 3500 addicts across the U.S. to be sterilised, now visiting parts of the UK to encourage users to undergo the surgery for cash. John, 38, is the first in the UK to accept the money to have a Vasectomy after being involved in drugs since he was 12. He said: “ It was something that I’d been thinking 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: “No one wanted to see children brought up in a drug-using environment but no place for Project Prevention
References: BBC News London, (October 17, 2010). Charity offers UK drug addicts £200 to be sterilised. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-11545519 Telegraph. (2010, October 19). Drug addict sterilised for cash but can Barbara Harris save our babies? Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/8071664/Drug-addict-sterilised-for-cash-but-can-Barbara-Harris-save-our-babies.html University Of Oxford. (2010, October 21). Practical ethics. Retrieved from http://www.practicalethicsnews.com/practicalethics/2010/10/anti-addict-mummy-money.html#more Discovery National International. (2010). Home and health. Retrieved from http://www.yourdiscovery.com/homeandhealth/article.jsp?section_id=5&theme_id=13&subtheme_id=28&article_id=214&site=uk