Drug abuse provides one tragic story after another. No story is more tragic than the death of innocent victims.
Some states are now working to protect innocent children from drug-addicted parents. They are trying to pass legislation that will provide protection for the young and vulnerable, and prevent more tragic stories like that of Jaidon Morris. As reported in www.goupstate.com.
One of the primary components of this legislation is that for parents whose children are taken by the Department of Social Services because of substance abuse issues to be drug tested before a judge can consider returning the child to the parents' custody
One bill in Mississippi, dubbed Jaidon's Law, is named in memory of Jaidon Morris, a toddler who was a few months shy of his second birthday when he died of a prescription drug overdose in 2008. Jaidon's grandmother and father were convicted of homicide by child abuse, and aiding and abetting the crime, respectively. They were accused of giving the toddler adult-strength prescription cough medicine and failing to bring him to a doctor when he showed breathing problems.
Jaidon died one week after being returned to his biological family after nearly a year in foster care.
I believe that when substance abuse is a factor in removing a child from parental care, the parents should be required to take a drug test before a child may be returned to them.
I would be interested to hear your thoughts on this topic. Do you think mandatory drug classes for parents whose children are taken by the Department of Social Services could help prevent some innocent deaths?