Pregnant women and 16-year-olds should be allowed to use heroin injection rooms in a center in King's Cross, Sydney, Australia. This is one of the suggestions received by New South Wales Health as it conducts a review of the Medically Supervised Injecting Center.
"We certainly consider all stakeholder consultation, representations as part of statutory reviews," said Chief Medical Officer Kerry Chant, as per a report from ABC.net regarding the proposal for change I the heroin injection center. The report said that the Medically Supervised Injecting Center has been in operation for more than 15 years.
Push for pregnant women, 16-year-olds to be allowed to use drug injecting rooms https://t.co/xskBcqdO7K
— ABC News Sydney (@abcnewsSydney) July 25, 2016
Concerns For Pregnant Women And Minors
The Daily Mail reported that nurses working at the Medically Supervised Injecting Center have turned 25 pregnant women seeking access to the heroin injection center. However, a "fetus may be at risk of unmanaged withdrawal from drug dependency."
Current rules in the center prevent anyone under 18 from using the center. "It is likely that by continuing to exclude those under 18 from using the centre, they will inject somewhere else, in less safe circumstances," said the document containing the suggestion, as per The Daily Telegraph. The center has reportedly turned away seven individuals under 18 who wanted to inject heroin in the center.
Proposal To Allow Pregnant Women And 16-year-olds Condemned By Official
"Can I categorically say not in our lifetime will we ever allow kids to utilise the heroin-injecting centre or pregnant women," said New South Wales Deputy Premier Troy Grant, as per Yahoo News. "It's just absolute nonsense," Grant added.
The Daily Telegraph said that Grant called the proposal "ridiculous" and "offensive." The proposal to allow pregnant women and 16-year-olds from access to the heroin injection center is said to be from suggestions of stakeholders and not one put forth by the New South Wales Health.
