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‘People Pleaser’ Injects Pregnant Mother With Heroin During Labor

A man injects himself with heroin using a needle obtained from the People's Harm Reduction Alliance, the nation's largest needle-exchange program, in Seattle, Washington April 30, 2015. The People's Harm Reduction Alliance launched its free meth pipe program, which is pioneering but illegal, in March after learning from its own survey that 80 percent of area meth users would be less likely to inject drugs if given access to pipes. The theory behind the Alliance's handout program is that giving meth pipes to drug users may steer some away from needles, which are far riskier than smoking, especially if the user is sharing with another person infected with HIV or hepatitis C. There is little scientific evidence to support that claim, but the Alliance, a privately funded needle-swap group run by drug users, said it has distributed more than 1,000 pipes in Seattle in a matter of weeks and could expand to other cities in Washington state and Oregon. Opponents say giving away meth pipes discourages quitting while wasting resources on an untested scheme that will not solve a city-wide health problem. Picture taken April 30, 2015. REUTERS/David Ryder

REUTERS/David Ryder

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Steve Birr Vice Reporter
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A pregnant woman going through labor demanded a friend inject her with heroin and meth before she let anyone call an ambulance for help.

Felicia Farruggia, a 29-year-old living in New Hampshire, was in “full labor and giving birth to a baby boy” at her home in September. Instead of calling 911, she attempted to inject herself with narcotics, according to court documents released Wednesday. After she was unable to inject herself, she demanded her friend, 37-year-old Rhianna Frenette, give her heroin and methamphetamine before calling emergency services, reports CBS Boston.

Concord Police Lt. Sean Ford said the pair showed “complete disregard really for the value of human life.” When authorities asked Frenette why she agreed to inject Farruggia with the drugs, she allegedly remarked, “I’m a people pleaser.”

“Frenette attempted to inject Farruggia with an unsanitary syringe at least once before she successfully delivered a dose of the drug,” the Concord Police Department said in a statement Wednesday.

Emergency services were called after Farruggia got her fix, arriving just in time to deliver the baby. Farruggia gave birth to a baby boy as EMTs were putting her into the ambulance. Authorities took Farruggia and the newborn to Concord Hospital where they stayed for several days.

Officials put the baby in state custody and arrested Farruggia and Frenette on charges of reckless conduct. Farruggia reportedly has a number of children, all in state custody.

New Hampshire experienced a 191 percent increase in heroin and opioid overdose deaths between 2011 and 2015, and the drug continues to plague the state. The opioid epidemic is wreaking havoc in the lives of young children whose parents abuse the substance, causing substantial increases in the need for foster care.

The problem is most visible in Ohio, one of the states hit hardest by the opioid epidemic. Opioids are the main driver of a 19 percent spike in the number of kids removed from parental custody for foster care since 2010 across Ohio.

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