New Hampshire Mothers in MAT May Still Lose Their Children

One of the fastest growing groups of heroin users is women of childbearing age. More children are taken from their mothers and placed in foster care. In New Hampshire, a woman who was in recovery and prescribed methadone, lost her baby because the baby would test positive for methadone and she did not have stable housing. She was already four months heroin free. Listen in to this opiate recovery support group as they discuss the difficulties that mothers can have while getting on their feet.

Discussion Guide:

If you are a woman in recovery who has children, did you lose a child or almost lose a child due to your addiction? What was your experience?

Do you have people on whom you can rely if you were facing homelessness?

Is stable housing and employment difficult to find in your community?

Some people believe that funding should be shifted from foster care into prevention services such as housing and childcare. Do you agree?

Supplemental Reading:

Rachel Gotbaum, NPR, http://www.npr.org/2018/06/02/616329408/new-hampshire-mothers-struggling-with-opioid-addiction-fight-to-keep-their-child