Child Abuse and Neglect

Children growing up in families where one or both parents are using methamphetamine are exposed to both physical and psychological abuse. They are exposed to domestic violence, sexual abuse, drug abuse and other drugs and pornography among others. This affects their upbringing and they are more likely to fall in the same problem their parents are in. It's therefore important to take action by removing children whose parent use methamphetamine from their care and place them under the care of a responsible relative or in children care centre.

On the case presented I would advise the mother to be petitioned on abuse and neglect charges. Being the mother and the sober of the couple, she ought to be more responsible. She ought to have taken action by taking the children away from her boy-friend knowing too well the dangers she was exposing them to. Methamphetamine users are very prone to beating children, raping them and exposing them to such other ills as pornography and domestic violence. While the mother may have not been taking the drug herself, she is guilty of omission. The fact that there is crude evidence that the drug was being manufactured in the house indicts her even more. The threat from the boyfriend that he will kill them is not a reason enough to keep the children in such a condition. She ought to move them away then seek protection from the authorities.

The argument that the mother is innocent is invalid because she knew the danger the children were exposed to but did nothing about it only watching them as they suffer.

If the mother is petitioned and the children taken away from her, it would serve the legislative intent of the new law since she witnessed the methamphetamine being prepared in the house and being consumed in front of the children she was supposed to be responsible over and took no action. If she is petitioned, it would act as a deterrent to other mothers who could be keeping the children under the same circumstance.  The mother is not a victim but rather a partaker in the abuse by neglecting her duty of guaranteeing the children security.

If the mother is not petitioned she should be enrolled in parenting classes as well as counseling sessions to help her recover from the abuse witnessed and to give her better parental skills.

My state does not have such a policy but I believe it would help many children if it were implemented.

This is because it would make the parents more accountable in the way they bring up their children. It will also help protect children who are the future of this country. It would be better for the children to be brought up under somebody else's care than their own parents when such parents abuse drug.

Such a law would help many of the states like Minnesota where methamphetamine is a big problem. The way to go about it is to lobby influential people and those in authority to adopt the law by convincing them of the benefits the law will bring to the war against drug and parental negligence.

There are many children across the United States who are living away with relatives or in foster care centers because of the meth problem. Others have been injured, abused or killed. While stringent laws by themselves are not going to offer a solution, they are however important as they will support the war against the drug and child abuse.