Established in 1997, Project Prevention has so far worked with 3,371 addicts in the U.S. Of those, 1,253 have opted for tubal ligations or vasectomies. After getting in touch with the organization by calling its toll free hotline (888-30-CRACK), prospective participants must mail in arrest records or official letters from social workers to confirm they have drug problems. Those opting for IUDs or surgical implants receive $100 when the device is inserted and $100 more six months and a year later if the device is still in use. Harris depends on donations to keep the operation going, and word-of-mouth among addicts to find clients. But she also advertises her program by driving around the U.S. in a 30-foot motor home plastered with photos of a dead infant, a razor blade, a line of crack and a pacifier, along with the message: “Some things just don’t belong together.”
I remember reading about this same organization (back when it was C.R.A.C.K.) in the lack 1990s (in “Active Transformation,” the detroit-lansing anarchist newspaper that radicalized me, natch) and I am only semi-surprised to hear that they are still around and kicking 10+ years later. Oh, except, you know apparently one of Ryan’s friends is excited about its work on facebook now.
I am probably taking for granted that it is obvious whats wrong with this organization. In my opinion, if they really want to help women with drug addiction and children (and presumably no supportive partner/family?) they should put this money into funding non-state childcare so that these women can go to recovery and not have to spend months in court getting their kids back after. And if they want long-term contraception, it would probably be beneficial to work at getting that paid for at already-established women’s clinics.
Or, you know, address the serious drug and class warfare problem that this country has.
