ID: law of unintended consequences

Because the best thing you can do for at-risk Idaho moms starting out is to saddle them with a felony:

‘Meth mom' bill clears Senate by 18-16 vote: Get-tough measure sparks controversy

The so-called “meth moms” bill that could lead to pregnant drug users serving jail time in Idaho squeaked through the Senate Tuesday by a mere two votes... The bill, which passed by an 18-16 vote, would mean pregnant mothers convicted of doing marijuana, LSD, methamphetamine or other drugs could face up to five years in jail and a $50,000 penalty. If the option is available to them, the guilty mothers could choose to attend drug court instead of going to jail...

Sen. Denton Darrington, R-Declo, the bill's sponsor, acknowledged treatment programs would be a preferable alternative to law enforcement intervention, but said... “Shouldn't it be a crime for a mother to induce those chemicals into her baby?”

But the controversial get-tough measure worries care providers and women's groups who fear it could lead to higher abortion rates and less pre-natal care... Sen. Dick Compton, R-Coeur d'Alene, said he'd like to see drug dealers publicly stoned, but voted against the bill out of a fear of unintended consequences. “It is my great fear that these mothers will not come forward because now they've got felony charges waiting around the bend for them,” he said.

...(O)pponents of the proposal blasted the “meth moms” bill on Tuesday as a reactionary solution to an ever-widening social problem. “The bill does nothing to address the problem of addiction,” said Sen. Kate Kelly, D-Boise. “Being addicted to meth is not a crime, it's a disease...”

So it's up against the wall, you guilty mothers...