In May last year Civil Society announced that Project Prevention, an American charity that controversially pays drug and alcohol addicts to undergo sterilisation and long-term contraception procedures, would be coming to the UK. Here its founder Barbara Harris asks UK critics to think again before passing judgement.

My journey in taking Project Prevention to the UK has been all but boring! I remember founding the organisation in the US 13 years ago and the huge media attention given that no one else had ever done what I was doing. Why? It is just such common sense to make sure that addicts and alcoholics don't conceive a child while using, right?

You would think that everyone would have answered yes to that question, but oddly enough many wouldn't! Believe it or not, as in the US, some Brits believe these addicts have the right to pop out as many children as they want to and the future for these children is not their concern. They are so focused on the addict's "right" to conceive children that they don't have the time to think about the fact that their children didn't have a "right" to be born drug-free, into a loving family, without health issues caused by their prenatal neglect; to not grow up in care, passed from home to home like a cardboard box; and to feel loved and wanted.

Some say that, sometimes, pregnancy motivates the addict to come off drugs. That is true in 25 per cent of the cases of conception by an addicted Mom, which leaves 75 out of 100 children born in these circumstances with actively addicted Moms - but let's just be happy for the 25 lucky ones right? Are you serious?

So those cheering for the addict are willing to have 75 children's lives be unsure, just so that 100 women had the right to continue conceiving while pregnant in the hopes that the pregnancy just might be motivation to get her sober! On what planet does this even make sense?

Most UK residents get it

Thank God, as in the US, most UK residents "get it" too. We have heard from thousands of UK residents cheering our work on and offering to help in any way they can. Most people do not believe that anyone has a right to abuse children and, yes folks, marinating a foetus in alcohol and drugs while the child is developing is child abuse to me.

To all of those UK residents who feel so strongly that drug treatment is the only solution to this serious problem answer this question: If an addict is on the streets, using, and has no desire to go into a drug treatment program for many years if ever, how is that the answer to drug-exposed infants being born in the UK?

To all of those in the UK who don't agree with Project Prevention's approach to this serious problem, what is your solution?

In closing I have one final comment to our opposition in the UK. If you feel strongly that addicts have the "right" to continue conceiving children I hope you're either becoming a care-giver or in line to adopt because since you feel that strongly that these children should continue being conceived you need to step up and raise a few! If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.

Barbara Harris founded Project Prevention after adopting her first of four children born to addicted mothers.