A BETTER PLAN

Look at the billboards which said, "If You Are Addicted To Drugs, Get Birth
Control, Get $200."

Planned Parenthood believes everybody has the right to voluntarily determine
her own childbearing and fertility. While no one wants to see babies born
addicted to drugs or to mothers who cannot care for them through unintended
pregnancies, coercion in family planning is not the answer. We are appalled
at the coercive family-planning policies in places like China and Peru, so
why should this situation be any less frightening?

Given the states of mind of these women, many believe tubal ligation is
reversible. If their addictions don't last, when they are sober and realize
that they can no longer have children, this coercive method will have
devastated their entire lives. Contraceptive services must include
information about all alternatives, consequences and risks. A woman's
contraceptive decision should be made by an individual who is capable of
deciding upon a course of action, and should be free from exploitation or
coercion.

There are more realistic approaches to help women with addiction, which is
to help them clean up; increase their self-esteem; educate them on
unplanned, unintended pregnancies; and help them to make family-planning
decisions that include parenting education. We can stop babies born addicted
to drugs by helping their mothers to stop taking drugs. Thus we save two lives.

Vinh T. Ngo, Director Planned Parenthood, Fresno