Local Non Profit Pays Drug Addicts To Get Sterilized

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by Kirk Hawkins
Bio | Email | Follow: @kirkhawkins by Terrence Walker, Photojournalist

Story Created: Mar 2, 2013 at 10:07 PM EDT

Story Updated: Mar 3, 2013 at 9:40 PM EDT

CHARLOTTE, N.C.--Barbara Harris can't stand seeing children fighting for their lives after they were born into the world to drug addicted parents. Harris is the founder and director of Project Prevention. A non-profit that pays drug addicts and alcoholics to get sterilized or long term birth control.

It has paid more than 43 hundred women and 76 men 300 dollars each. "Yes it takes money to get their attention and  motivate them to be responsible, but to me if you can motivate somebody with three hundred dollars to not abuse a child. It's the best 300 dollars you can spend," said Harris.

Harris said she has worked with addicts across the country. But no one in North Carolina wants to refer them to her group. Dr. Rosemarie Tong with UNC Charlotte's Center for Professional and Applied Ethics says it's probably because of the state's legacy of the Eugenics Program that sterilized men and women deemed too poor or mentally disabled to raise children beginning in 1929. "It's way too little for that particular capacity we have as human beings.
It's too precious," said Tong.

Barbara formed her charity after adopting Destiny and her three siblings from a drug addict in Los Angeles. "I've never felt like anything but a part of this family. I've never felt like I was supposed to have a family somewhere else," said Destiny Harris. After graduating with honors from UNC Charlotte, Destiny is preparing to become a teacher. A story of success her mom hopes more and more children will have the chance to achieve.

Project Prevention is funded by donations from private citizens. It has not received any government money.

 

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