Do you think Drug addicted mothers should serve life in prison if their baby is born with a life long illness?

Most of the time if not all the time when babies are born drug addicted, they wine up with a learning disablity, premature, or with a serious illness. And since the mothers know that they are pregnent and still take drugs anyway knowing full well what can happen to the baby they should be held accountable. Another thing, when a baby is born drug addicted, they more than likely are going to have some life long effects from whatever illness they get from the drug. So would be fair to suggest that since the baby will have to live the rest of its life with the illness whether its mental retardation or heart problems, that the mother should serve the rest of her life in prison for permanently damaging another human being?.

I'm not sure about putting them in prison (because then we're SURE to have *two* people being supported by the government instead of just the kid) ... however, I wouldn't be completely opposed to the idea of a "mandated sterilization" for these women who do this. (At the very least - make them come into clinics & report to their parole officers & get a depo-shot until they can show they're a productive member of society)

Addiction is a sickness. A civilized nation wouldn't imprison people for being sick.

sounds good on paper

It's wrong , sure,but putting the mother in jail won't help the child. If the mother is still on drugs while actually parenting, then yeah, throw her *** in jail. But otherwise, who wants to grow up without a mother? Especially if you're ill?

no but i think their kids should be taken

No. Well...depends on the state. If the state did not give the drug addicted mothers any treatment or medical help to rid her of her addiction I don't think it's the mother's fault. Rehab costs money folks. And these people have bills and mortgages to pay. If the state does not pay for rehab the state should not step in. That's if you ask me. And I suggest we do something about it. We, the people, have the power, why don't we use it? I don't want a bunch of deformed children walking the earth if I coulda done something about it. WE MUST RISE AND FIGHT! -d

Most importantly, they should advise them to get help, and if the child gets traumatized more, then they go to jail. daddy too. she didn't get preg by herself.

Not life in prison, but how about a lobotomy? For sure rehab for a couple of years.

They should remove her ovaries so she can't have anymore rugrats.

No more than a father that impregnated a woman while high on drugs. Prison will not help anyone but the one that put her there.

Druggies have enough problems dealing with illegal drugs. Punishing them won't change their coping problems. Then we will then have to go after women who drink alcohol. Next, women who smoke, and women who know they have possible birth defects. The list goes on and on, but the problem of trying to keep babies safe, is that we will be punishing women