BABY MOLLY'S FAMILY FAVORS CONTROLS ON ADDICTS' FERTILITY

(BOX)---- Molly's story ----------

Molly Delaronde was in hospital for the first two months of her life while
she withdrew from methadone.

Provincial government social workers then placed the baby with foster
mother Kim Kierkegaard, even though family members wanted to take her and
her aunt had custody of Molly's older sister.

Four days later Kierkegaard, not trained to deal with the needs of a baby
withdrawing from methadone, shook the infant. If Molly had not had surgery
that night, she would have died.

Earlier this month, Kierkegaard, who pleaded guilty to criminal negligence
casing bodily harm, was given a conditional sentence of two years less a
day, to be served in the community.

(END OF BOX)----------------------------

Methadone Program

A government that gives women drugs also should have the power to insist
she use birth control, say family members of Molly Delaronde.

The spiral of horrors that resulted in Molly being left blind and severely
brain damaged could have been avoided if someone had insisted mother Jackie
Delaronde not become pregnant again while on methadone, say her sisters.

However, spokesmen for the government-funded methadone program say
insisting clients use contraceptives would trample on their constitutional
rights.

The Supreme Court of Canada recently confirmed that the rights of the
mother take precedence over the rights of her unborn children.

"Birth control doesn't have anything to do with the methadone program. The
patients have a heroin addiction and are placed on methadone for treatment
of that disease," said Peter Hickey, executive director of the College of
Physicians and Surgeons which administers the methadone program.

Moll, now 13 months old, was born addicted because her mother has been on
the methadone program for about seven years.

After being withdrawn from the drug in hospital, Molly could have lived a
normal life if she had not been assaulted by her foster mother.

"Molly and hundreds of other babies can be born addicted and have to go
through the withdrawal that their parents are too selfish to go through,"
said Cindy Engbrecht, Molly's aunt, who now has custody of the baby.

"We have to stop this happening to children. Molly should not suffer for
the sins of he parents."

But Brian Oswald, administrator of the Victoria methadone program, said a
woman having a methadone-addicted baby is infinitely preferable to having a
baby born to a mother addicted to street drugs or alcohol where there is a
likelihood of the baby having lifelong problems.

The methadone program is a harm-reduction program and, if someone was
denied methadone because of pregnancy, they would probably use heroin
instead, he said.

During the past five years, there have been only about three births among
the 400 patients in Victoria, Oswald said. Provincewide figures are not
available.

Engbrecht said changes are needed.

"They have shot now that's good for three months. A woman should be told
she has to have the shot or she won't get her free drugs," she said.

Molly was 40-year-old Jackie Delaronde's fifth child, but some were born
before her addictions surfaced and all are in the care of family members
and doing well, Engbrecht said.

"We're very proud of them all. The family has done everything possible to
try to break Jackie of her addictions, but nothing has worked, said her
sister, Lisa Stolth.

Shortly after Molly's birth, Jackie Delaronde consented to sterilization
and was in hospital, prepped and awaiting the operation.

However, the surgery was delayed, apparently because staff had not known
she was on methadone, and Delaronde did not return as requested, Stolth
said.

"When you're dealing with someone like that, you don't say come back tomorrow."