Pregnant woman's drink binge

I have a very dirty secret. I smoked and injected meth all the way threw my pregnancy, not by choice but by force, and now my daughter who is 3 years old cannot walk sit, or stand. I have not told anyone the truth, because im afraid they will take her away from me even though i have not touched drugs for at least 3 years now

This story sickens me. I do find it interesting that there is a law against hitting females in NEW Zealand I believe that it should be that way in every country. I also think they should be able to beat a pregnant woman, who endangers her child, about the head and shoulders legs and thighs and any where that is not A pregnant part IE dont kill the woman and dont hit her tummy. See if they wanna do those drugs and drink like fishes if they gonna get beaten near comatose for it. I do not believe in hittin women but I do believe in protecting children at all costs, momma is a liability cash her out of that kids life. Some one will love that child and it dont cost that much to bury the moms when its over.

This person is a freaking moron and at best, a Nazi. Do some reading on fascism - you'll find that Hitler supports views like yours. Unfortunately for the rest of us more socially adapted citizens, we have to allow morons like you to comment with your fascist opinions.

In response to #5

Dolly, I agree with your statements especially. The government has already done way too much to interfere with kiwi families, and it hasn't helped anyone who is actually in need of social help. I also agree with the other posts here... we really need to look at the problem NZ has with alcohol and abuse of alcohol. I get a lil ticked off when I see those "it's not the drinking, it's HOW we're drinking" advertisements on tv... they send out the wrong message. The message should be "it IS the drinking" full stop. People have already had their cigarette smoking policed to a point where a smoker cannot purchase a pack of cigs without being subjected to horrific pictures of diseased people. Isn't it about time we changed our alcohol labels to show violent car crashes and people beaten to death by alcohol-fueled morons? I'm kidding, LOL! But back to the point here.... smokers know their habit can harm them and others around them, just as drinkers know their behaviour can become annoying and abusive, but no amount of horrific images or behaviour advertising are going to change the facts - we have a drinking culture here that is embarrassing and soul-destroying for families. Perhaps it's time to deal with the drinking culture and the violent folks who use it as fuel to beat their families, kill, maim, and torture innocent drivers etc...

When a pregnant woman drinks (or smokes for that matter), she is putting her child at risk of various problems. These problems result in the state having to pay extra to care for the child when it is eventually born, and throughout its life. Therefore the state has both a responsibility and a right to take actions to reduce the likely negative consequences for the individual child and the fiscal liability for itself. The only question is whether legislation is the best action for the state to take - I'd argue that without a legislative base, the state is powerless to take any actions at all, as the police in Tauranga have found in this case. Some may argue that any state action in this situation infringes the woman's rights: but biology means that the second a woman chooses to get pregnant, there are the rights of another individual (the child, or child-to-be) involved. If a woman doesn't like the fact that being pregnant (or being a mother for that matter) curtails her individual rights and freedoms, she should feel free to NOT get pregnant in the first place.

"Should it be illegal for pregnant women to drink?"

In a word, no. Of course, legality and morality are two seperate (yet often-confused) areas of discourse - and while it shouldn't be illegal for pregnant women to have a glass of wine with dinner, for a woman who is knowingly pregnant to go on a drinking binge is...perhaps not the most moral of actions.

Unfortunately, laws to prevent stupidity don't work. Laws won't stop spouses beating each other up, parents injuring their children, and children abusing their parents under the influence of alcohol. Perhaps the best the law can do is to make the misuse of alcohol and drugs an aggravating rather than a mitigating circumstance. Otherwise, a culture that encourages responsibility rather than dependency is the only approach that is likely to seriously address the problem.

Oh gawd! Nothing like the pursuit of a pleasurable substance (drinking) to bring out the guilt-ridden puritans and the SPUCKees amongst us.

For that poor, poor, put-upon person with a guilt-attack "There needs to be more support from authorities as recently my partner and I found a woman in severe distress, intoxicated and very pregnant, we called the police and ambulance staff and no one would help as she was "moving". We could not help her as she did not want to be helped... so what do you do in those circumstances??"

How about MYOFB? It's her choice to be helped or not. Respect the broken and try not to be led by your predjudice that they can't fend for themselves. Actually they can. (Blanket Man, although not pregnant, has got choices after all). So it's not your problem, even if you think it is your business. Go try and solve world hunger if you're that clever. Piece-meal little tin-pot laws won't make one blind bit of difference, specially as there's no-one there to (thanks goodness) to enforce it. Imagine:

Policeman knocks on door: "Good evening, ma'am. I see you're having a drink. Mind if I ask when you last had a period?" Woman: "Yes I do actually but since it's the law I'll have to answer honestly. Last week actually." Policeman: "Oh and are you pregnant now?" Woman: "How would I know?" Policeman:"When did you last have sex? And are you using a reliable contraceptive?" Woman: "Well I could be I suppose, since I'm not using any form of birth control. I am however 52 years old, even though I only look 30, and my propsects of conceiving after one fuck are rather slim". Policeman: "Oh I see ma'am. I'll just consult my Secret Policeman's Manual on How To identify A Pregnant Woman, and file a report." Woman: "You do that. Thankyou for your concern." Goes.

You be the judge : )

Oh for God's sake why are the abortion comments always from men...

This event was based on both incase you didn't notice. The reason the police found out she was drunk in the first place is because her partner smashed a bottle over her head. So this is a woman and man bashing discussion. It's even stevens here.

Thank all thats green and good that it hasn't turned into a race debate yet!