Three Part-Point of View

The onlooking elderly woman sitting in the clinic waiting room

Look at that girl over there, she ought to be ashamed of herself. Carrying that baby inside her and jacked up pm God knows what. Thought she could hide it, you can tell a coke addict a mile away. Look how she's shacking, you'd think its minus 20 degrees in here, its boiling hot, she's even taken her coat off. Look at those bruises on her arms where she couldn't find a vein. It's selfish how she isn't even caring about the baby. Atrocious, just hideous, they should have locked her up to clear her act up then the baby would have a chance at being normal. It's sure to be damaged, just like it's mother.

The Nurse

The pour girl, she's in a right mess. It's good that she came here when she had the chance, the least we can do is monitor her as well as the baby. We can't take her off the drugs now, that would be fatal for the baby and disastrous for the mother, but we can giver her supplements for it until the baby arrives. The pour girl can't do much about her problem now, but together with her cooperation and our support, the baby will have a better chance at survival.

The Pregnant Addict

Whens it my turn to see the Doctor? that Nurse said any minute now. Here i am sitting here, that old bat keeps on staring me, she should get her own life, and leave mine alone. That bleedingurse too, all she does is look at me. They think i don't know but i do. I can feel every body's eyes on me. And on my baby. They're worried about the kid. They think I'm not taking care of myself. Here i am, on my own, pour, baby on the way, and they worry. I'm the one who should be worrying. What i worry about is the coke. I need my next fix quick, i know the baby can take it, it's a fighter like me, it will be fine. I just need to get in the Doctor's office and get my next fix. I just have to, i can't fight the addiction now...

Which point of view are we to agree with or even sympathise with? The outsider, the general public who see this as a selfish act on the pregnant addict's behalf, or the nurse, the government employee who is more informed on how to deal with the pregnant addict's situation, or the pregnant addict herself? Who knows best in this situation? Almost all would dismiss the outsider and the pregnant addict and agree with the nurse, who knows what will happen to the baby in the two possible situations, if she were to stop the drug intake or continue it. Both situations have proven to be dangerous and even fatal for the child, however, in which situation is there a better survival rate? We know as the informed party, that the child will indefinitely be born with some problems, whether it be physical or mental, but which choice will even give the child to live? It isn't for certain, but the government prefers to supply the pregnant addicts with the drugs to feed their body with what it 'thinks it needs'. To take the person off the drug, is dangerous because her body will not know how to act or function, putting the baby in an even more risky position. To sum up, to take the drug away you are at risk of becoming a multiple killer, risking the addict and the child, give her the drug, again risking both lives, but are able to monitor them as such, or to be indifferent to whatever the addict does, keeping you with a clear conscience. The outside world needs to help addicts before it gets to this stage, but not only get involved when it's one of our family members' problem, remember, the next pregnant addict you come across could well in fact be the daughter of a long lost relative, or your best friend, or next dour neighbour, but that addict is now dead because you looked down your nose and read them their rights from the moral book and gave them a slap on the hand from society.