Background to the Stories in the Film
Since the 1986 federal government war on drugs
mandatory sentencing, the number of women in prison has risen 400 percent, for black women
it’s risen 800 percent. Most of the women and mothers incarcerated for non-violent
drug offenses are suffering with substance abuse issues. The underlying reasons for
addiction in 97 percent of women with substance abuse problems are untreated
post-traumatic stress and/or depression, precipitated by sexual and domestic violence.
In 1989, in Florida, Jennifer Clarice Johnson
became the first woman to be convicted of delivering drugs to a minor via
the placenta. Johnson’s conviction was eventually overturned on appeal,
but separating the rights of the mother from the unborn fetus had begun.
The policy of prosecuting
pregnant women who use drugs is justified on the grounds that it is a
deterrent to substance abuse. But studies show that this stops her
from seeking prenatal care to avoid prosecution.
Pregnant women who seek drug
treatment are often turned away. Programs are afraid of being sued for
injuries to the mother or newborn in the course of delivery and refuse
services that could help the expectant mother and save her child’s life.
In 1990, in New York City, 54% of drug treatment programs refused all
pregnant women, 67% refused Medicaid patients and 84% refused crack
addicted pregnant women.
Newborns who test positive for drugs are taken away from
their mothers and put into foster care. The 1997 Adoption and Safe Families Act mandates
that a permanency decision is made for a child in foster care for 15 consecutive or 18 of
22 months. The current epidemic of methamphetamine, a form of speed that is easily
manufactured and quickly becomes addictive, has spread from inner cities to the suburbs.
With the dearth of gender appropriate treatment for families, many mothers enter adult
only treatment programs and make a ‘Sophie’s Choice’ between custody of
their children or treatment. Termination of parental rights has outrun actual adoptions,
creating a generation of legal orphans. The children bounce from foster home to foster
home, with no ties to their birthparents and no hope of adoption.
The family as a whole, which includes parents and children,
requires healing. In an effort to institute a positive solution to these personal
tragedies, the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, a Division of Federal Health and
Human Services gave start-up funds for 35 residential programs for treatment and
recovery of pregnant and parenting women and their young children in the 1991. Center Point, Inc. Women and
Children’s Residential Treatment in San Rafael, California is one of these programs.
The Center Point treatment program is a 40 bed residence for
pregnant and post partum women and their children (up to the age of 5). It is a model for
a comprehensive whole family system that works to promote self-sufficiency through
rehabilitation and treatment. The program offers a 6 month residential program followed by
a transitional housing program with medical, psychological, educational, vocational and
counseling support, and includes a practical value based approach using 20 Personal
Growth Concepts of Living written by Dr. Sushma D. Taylor, Chief Executive Officer
of Center Point, Inc.
"Center Point can take great pride in their
dedication… I commend you for your hard work on behalf of the people in your community. You are
helping to create a brighter future for us all."
Bill Clinton, United States President, 1996
Please contact us at: 415.564.3691 or
momslivingclean@att.net if you or your group would
like to host a fundraising screening.
(c) 2009 Sheila Ganz
