House Bill 216 flawed

The Utah Legislature is currently considering House Bill 216, which deals with children born with fetal alcohol syndrome or fetal drug dependency. Simply stated, the bill says that women with addiction issues should be required to receive treatment after giving birth, or they will not be allowed to be reunited with their newborn.

While the bill's basic premise is sound, the proposed legislation has major flaws. First of all, it discriminates against women since men are not punished for behavior that results in the poor health of infants. Second, the bill excludes prescription drugs that are lawfully prescribed, even though they may be abused — a significant fact considering that Utah leads the nation for prescription drug abuse. Third, the bill refers to dependency in the context that the drugs in question produce a withdrawal syndrome. The problem with this argument is that stimulants like cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana don't result in a significant withdrawal syndrome.

Before this type of proposed legislation passes, I would encourage lawmakers to consider factors like these and to consult with addiction counselors on how the bill can be made more equitable and helpful to mothers and fathers in terms of dealing with addiction.

Jeremy Boberg

Sandy