Jurors Deadlocked In Fatal Breast-Milk Case

http://cbs2.com/local/local_story_172132003.html
(see link for full article and video clip)

Jurors Wednesday told a Superior Court judge they were deadlocked and unable to reach a verdict in the retrial of a woman accused of killing her infant son by feeding him methamphetamine-laced breast milk. 

[an earlier article on the this case, for more background]

Mother portrayed as uncaring 
COURT: Authorities say the mother's milk had methamphetamine, but evidence is questioned.
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_H_prien15.84de34.html

A prosecutor Wednesday portrayed a Mead Valley woman accused of killing her infant son by breast-feeding him methamphetamine-laced milk as an addict whose drug habit did not subside during her pregnancy or after her son's birth.

<snip>

 Prien used methamphetamine during her entire pregnancy and after her son, Jacob Smith, was born. 
"She continued to breast-feed that baby because she didn't care," Nelson said. "She was responsible to protect him, to protect him. The choices the defendant made cost him his life." 


[me again.  This case made me wonder - well, do we prosecute pregnant meth users?  Obviously a baby would be more injured by meth in utero, than through breast milk.  Aaaah, but the fetus has no rights I suppose.  And after birth, the mom had such a simple option, formula, so her trying to breastfeed was simply reckless and selfish?  I'm assuming that any breastfeeding meth-user was mostly logically using while pregnant also?  These cases open a lot of rights issues, I think.
Janice Reynolds]

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