Editorial -

CHILDREN AT RISK

THE RISING use of methamphetamine in Georgia and the rest of the Southeast
has created a new group of innocent victims - children who are injured or
killed while their parents are making the illegal drug., also known as
speed or crank. Unfortunately, Georgia remains the only state in the
country where adults can't be held criminally responsible for putting their
children in harm's way. Consequently, some children pay a steep price. One
of the latest was a year-old infant from Catoosa County who died of
injuries he received after he was badly burned by fire his father was using
for cooking.

More specifically, the man was cooking meth in a coffeepot over a propane
flame when he accidentally injured his child. Such a twisted notion of
family values should be against the law.

Indeed, Gov. Sonny Perdue plans to do exactly that during the next session
of the Georgia Legislature. He is crafting a measure that will help protect
children from abusive or reckless adults, particularly those who endanger
young people by exposing them to the toxic and explosive materials used to
make methamphetamine, a growing problem in this part of the country.

In fact, it's the Georgia Bureau of Investigation that's pushing for
tougher penalties. The GBI reports that the number of meth labs raided by
authorities jumped from 29 in 1999 to 395 last year. Children are being
exposed to dangerous chemicals and fumes during the illegal drug-making
process. But unless youths are physically harmed, holding parents
criminally responsible for exposing their children to these dangers is
difficult.

Most adults who make this drug, often in remote rural areas where people
won't notice the strong odors, aren't upstanding citizens or great
thinkers. A child endangerment law might not affect their behavior - at
least not at first. However, once prosecutors make a case or two, and throw
a big thick book at the offenders, maybe some meth-makers will get it
through their thick skulls that they could get a longer sentence if their
children hang around their makeshift labs.

The governor's support for such a bill is encouraging. Combined with Lt.
Gov. Mark Taylor's earlier announced support for legislation that would
punish adults who leave loaded handguns lying around the house, or those
who injure children during violent disputes with a spouse, next year's
legislature should be child-friendly for a change.

Lawmakers have tried unsuccessfully for the past four annual sessions to
pass a child endangerment law or related felony statute. Each time, it got
knocked down by legislators who feared that overzealous prosecutors could
unfairly target parents for disciplining their children or for accidents
that were unavoidable. Some opponents believed that such bills were
anti-gun - even though the National Rifle Association said it didn't oppose
such changes. In fact, responsible gun owners support common-sense rules
that protect innocent lives and prevent children from being hurt because of
negligence.

Protecting children is a non-partisan effort. Republicans and Democrats
should unite around this cause and find a way to combine the Perdue-backed
bill with the one Mr. Taylor is sponsoring. That way, Georgians should wind
up with a comprehensive protection plan that safeguards children who are
hurt or killed because of reckless or uncaring parents or guardians.

It's a shame that Georgia needs such a law. But it's worse that some
infants are dying so drug users and their suppliers can do business. It's
time Georgia joins the rest of the nation and values young lives.