- Target:
- South African Government
- Region:
- South Africa
Drug war on moms.
Mandatory drug screening to prevent further harm to unborn babies, and possible further neglect and child abuse. Available research points to increased rates of premature delivery, placental abruption (separation of the placental lining from the uterus), and various effects on babies prenatally exposed to methamphetamine, including small size, lethargy, and heart and brain abnormalities. A large ongoing NIDA-funded study is examining developmental outcomes in children born to mothers who abused methamphetamine.
Thus far, researchers have found behavioral neurological abruption problems such as decreased arousal and increased stress and subtle but significant attention impairments in these children.
A child born exposed to drugs is presumed to be abused or neglected or that positive results from a toxicology test performed on a new born or signs of prenatal drug exposure in new-borns constitute evidence of child abuse or neglect.
That such evidence provides grounds for removing the infant from the mother's custody and qualifies as a factor in determining whether to terminate parental rights. This should be made law in South Africa, for example, a new born is presumed to be neglected and "cannot be protected from further harm without being removed from the custody of the mother" if there is a positive drug test on either the mother or the child at birth.
Drug screening should be mandatory in state and private hospitals in South Africa and positive drug tests in mothers and new born babies should be immediately reported to social welfare agencies for investigation.
Mandatory drug screening will prevent further harm to unborn babies, and possible further neglect and child abuse, and assist in deterring mothers from using drugs whilst being pregnant with the real possible risk of the child being removed from the mothers care due to the drug abuse.
Stop drug abuse by moms.
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The Stop drug abuse by moms petition to South African Government was written by vanessa and is in the category Children's Rights at GoPetition.