Summary
DOUGLAS Fraser's report (May 12) gives the impression that I am supportive of the suggestion from Duncan McNeil that drug addicts should have contraceptive drugs added to their methadone. I would like to state categorically that I do not agree with this suggestion, which seems to me to be both unethical and quite possibly illegal. In speaking to The Herald I had understood that Mr McNeil was suggesting that addicts on methadone be offered contraception. This seems to me to be an entirely appropriate suggestion but one that is a million miles away from the idea of adding contraceptive drugs to methadone.
We have in Scotland around 50,000 children with one or both parents dependent on illegal drugs. These children are suffering long-term harm as a result of their daily exposure to their parents' drug use. If we are to meet the needs of these children we need to address the level of unwanted pregnancy among addicts and address the area of drug addicts' contraceptive practices. We need to ensure that all drug treatment services are able to offer family-planning support but it does not mean that we should be lacing addicts' methadone with contraceptive drugs.See the full content of this document
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Unethical and Illegal
Neil ...
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