A pregnant cocaine addict, who made headlines last year when a judge jailed her to protect the health of her unborn baby, is now back in the news. The young mother who has been at the center of the debate over the care and punishment of pregnant addicts gave birth to her second child on Tuesday and is requesting her bond to be reinstated.
Alexandra Nicole Laird, 21, was first indicted in 2015 after giving birth to a baby girl, who was found to be addicted to heroin. The newborn was treated for withdrawal in the ICU for a month, according to Al.com.
In late August 2016, Laird who was arrested for drug possession and failing to appear in court to face child endangerment charges was pregnant again. This time, she was jailed for the duration of the second pregnancy after admitting to using heroin three times a day during her pregnancy. However, Laird's doctors were able to keep her in the hospital until she gave birth.
"I'm doing my damndest to try to prevent any further damage to this child since it's obvious that the mother doesn't seem to care,'' said Pleasant Grove Police Lt. Danny Reid during the hearing. When Laird delivered the baby on Tuesday, her lawyers filed a paper seeking her to be released on a bond that would send her to the hospital's detox program.
Considering Laird to have just given birth, the police did not oppose her release. However, the judge has yet to release the final say regarding the move. Laird was treated at UAB Hospital during her pregnancy.
According to Reuters, a drug-addicted baby is born every 19 minutes in the U.S. Heroin addiction has become a major cause of the problem in itself, with almost 216 people dying from heroin-related overdoses every year.
