CRACK DOWN

The March 13 edition of the City Paper published an article
describing a program that targets people of color for sterilization
(Mobtown Beat, March 13). The article was misleading, in that it
downplayed the ethical implications of the program and the extent of
opposition to it.

The program, called Children Requiring a Caring Kommunity (CRACK),
claims its intent is to help poor women and men who use drugs acquire
birth control. It offers a small sum of money (usually $200) to those
who will undertake long-term (three-month) Depo-Provera treatments,
vasectomies, or tubal ligations. The program's effectiveness depends
on the vulnerability of individuals in Baltimore addicted to crack
cocaine--mostly African-Americans--to offers of quick cash. The small
sum isn't intended to help anyone get off drugs. The goal of the
program is to control the reproductive decisions of a certain group
of people.

The article should have mentioned that not a single professional
medical association, federal, state, or city department, or nonprofit
group working with the poor finds CRACK to be a legitimate
organization. CRACK has been driven out of Oakland, Calif., by public
protests. A number of books and articles have been published that
expose CRACK. A quick Internet search would have turned them up.

CRACK assumes most of us white City Paper readers won't protest its
eugenic campaign. It assumes we agree that poor people of color who
are substance abusers are the source of our city's problems. It
assumes that we agree that it is appropriate to target certain
demographic groups for sterilization. Is CRACK right?

Janine Holc Baltimore