Judge's Order to Drug-Addicted Mom of 4: No More Pregnancies

Until she regains custody of infant son, order says
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Feb 15, 2017 8:45 PM CST
Judge's Order to Drug-Addicted Mom of 4: No More Pregnancies
Stock photo.   (Getty Images / Wavebreakmedia)

A New York judge has ordered a drug-addicted mother of four who has worked as a prostitute not to get pregnant again until she has gained custody of her infant son, the AP reports. Family Court Judge Patricia Gallaher wrote that the order is meant to improve the woman's chances of being rehabilitated and reunited with the boy "without a newer baby making that less likely to happen." All of the woman's children are being raised by other people. "Society and its problems are changing, especially with the incredible rise in the use of heroin, and this court needs to adjust in response instead of doing the same tired routine which does not solve the obvious problems in so many cases," the Rochester judge wrote in the December order. The Democrat & Chronicle newspaper first wrote about the case this week.

Gallaher's order says the infant was born prematurely in July "and exhibited signs of withdrawal almost immediately after his birth." Two previous children were born addicted to drugs and removed from the mother's care in 2011 and 2014, according to the ruling. A 16-year-old son has been living with his maternal grandmother since 2007 after having access to a hypodermic needle while in his mother's care. The mother admitted to using crack cocaine, methadone and alcohol while pregnant with her infant son. She also said she had been a prostitute. The order supplemented a finding of neglect against the mother, identified as Brandy F., that set out a plan for her to follow. The judge ordered the Department of Human Services to cover any birth control expenses and promised not to jail the woman if she violates the order and becomes pregnant. The New York Civil Liberties Union is considering assisting with the woman's appeal. (More drug abuse stories.)

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