PROPOSAL TO CRACK DOWN ON PREGNANT DRUG USERS GATHERS STEAM

BOISE - The fight to curb Idaho's meth problem stepped into uncharted
territory Wednesday: The wombs of pregnant mothers.

A proposal that would make it a felony offense for a pregnant woman to
take certain drugs passed a legislative committee despite the concerns
of pediatricians who fear the get-tough measure could lead to more
abortions and less pre-natal care.

But proponents of the effort to crack down on meth use in Idaho say
the current system fails to address mothers who put their unborn
children at high risk through their own illicit behavior.

What would we do if we found out a 2-year-old or 8-year-old child had
been given meth? asked Cassia County Prosecutor Al Barrus. We would go
ballistic.

We don't want a bill just to send people to jail - we want healthy
babies.

If passed by the Legislature, the so-called meth moms bill would mean
pregnant mothers convicted of using marijuana, LSD, methamphetamine or
other drugs could face up to five years in jail and a $50,000 penalty.

But Sen. Denton Darrington, R-Declo, the bill's sponsor, also crafted
a provision that would allow the guilty mothers to attend drug court
if they so choose.

Bannock County Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Dennis Wilkinson said
he hasn't read Senate Bill 1337, but acknowledges the issue is a
complex one.

I do worry that some women in the drug culture would be discouraged
from seeking medical attention, but the bottom line is we've got to
protect the fetus, he said. I've gone both ways in my mind.

Pediatricians who deal frequently with the problem of pregnant women
who are addicted to drugs, said the law change could punish poor
mothers who fear being detected by law enforcement.

Increasing criminality will not necessarily be a comprehensive
solution to drug problems, said Perry Brown, a Boise-based
pediatrician.

But Darrington, who has also called for increased penalties for
convicted sex offenders who repeatedly run afoul of the law, said the
new law would fill a pressing need until more treatment options are
created in the Gem State.

Would you sooner deliver a clean baby in jail or a meth baby out of
jail? he asked to no one in particular.

Meth has proved an increasingly dire problem for state leaders, who
blame the drug for tearing apart the social fabric of thousands of
Idaho families.

State lawmakers recently ratified preliminary plans for a 400-bed
substance abuse treatment center in Boise, though the money hasn't
been allocated yet.

Pocatello has also been mentioned as a potential future site for such
a facility.

Given the state's current lack of such options, however, Wilkinson and
others said the stricter laws on meth could give law enforcement a
valuable tool.

Ultimately, you want to do what's best for the woman's health and the
child's health and that means keeping the mother off of meth, he said.