Innocent victims The news arrived late in the afternoon. My girlfriend told me that Naomi had given birth. Instead of feeling happy about the birth of my former friend's child, I felt both saddened and angry about this occasion. So I asked the inevitable question: “Is this OK?” The answer to my question was exactly what I hoped wouldn't happen. Naomi is a hero. She had just given birth to a premature baby who was addicted to the same drug her mother was injecting. This innocent little guy was born with what doctors say was a mild form of brain damage. In the first weeks of his life he had to be treated with methadone to combat withdrawal symptoms. Despite the great damage Naomi has caused to her baby, she still walks the streets of Carlsbad looking for her solution. The last I had heard of the child was that he had been taken by Child Protective Services and placed in foster care while awaiting a home. Mothers who expose their babies before birth to hard, illegal drugs cause serious harm to these children and should be prosecuted. The physical, neurological, and behavioral effects on children of drug use during pregnancy are daunting. Despite this blatant disregard for the life of the child, it is not considered a form of child abuse in most of our states. If a mother injected drugs into her baby's tiny arm, causing permanent brain damage or death, the mother would surely be arrested and prosecuted. Yet this is exactly what drug-addicted mothers do when they use drugs during pregnancy. In California, when a woman gives birth to a baby with illegal drugs in her system, not much happens to the mother. According to a San Diego County Child Protective Services official, the child is placed on hold and placed in foster care. The case is then referred to the Family Court for review. A judge then examines the extent of the mother's drug use and decides whether it is safe to return the child to the mother. Depending on the amount of drug abuse, the mother is referred to a drug treatment program. If the mother completes her assigned program, she will be reunited with her child. If he does not complete the program, the child is left in foster care and given up for adoption.