[ OUR OPINION ]
Manslaughter charge
proper in baby’s deathA newborn baby's death by lethal drugs is neither natural nor accidental, and it obviously is not suicidal. City Prosecutor Peter Carlisle arrived at the logical, if controversial, decision that such a death is a homicide for which a mother hooked on illicit drugs can be held responsible. He obtained a grand jury indictment of a Kaneohe woman last October on manslaughter charges in the death of her 2-day-old son. Prosecution of such a case is proper.
THE ISSUE
A group is opposing the prosecution of a woman accused of causing her newborn son's death with a toxic level of crystal meth.
"Addiction is a disease, not a crime," protested Linda Rich, president of the Substance Abuse Free Environment Council, which advocates treatment rather than punishment of pregnant women and mothers. Feeding toxic levels of crystal methamphetamine to an infant clearly is a crime, even during pregnancy or breast-feeding.
The autopsy of Tayshea Aiwohi's son, Treyson, showed his system contained four times the minimum toxic level of methamphetamines and twice the toxic level of amphetamines for an adult. Aiwohi, now a drug counselor, has admitted that she was an ice addict. "This was the reckless killing of another human being," Carlisle said.
The Aiwohi case has gained national attention, along with similar prosecutions in other states. In Riverside, Calif., a mother of four was sentenced last October to life in prison after being convicted of murdering her 3-month-old son by feeding him methamphetamine through her breast milk or plastic bottle liners she had used to package the drug.
The Aiwohi indictment came three days after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to consider overturning the murder conviction of a South Carolina cocaine addict for the stillbirth of her son. More than 70 infant drug cases have been prosecuted in that state since 1989. Willie Parker, a Honolulu obstetrician, suggested that South Carolina's subsequent increase in infant mortality and abandoned babies and its decrease in the number of women seeking drug treatment could be repeated in Hawaii because of the Aiwohi prosecution.
Parker neglected to point out that South Carolina was the only state through the 1990s with a policy of doctors at a public hospital testing the urine of pregnant women suspected of cocaine use and then reporting positive results to law-enforcement officials. The Supreme Court struck down that policy in 2001. Pregnant women seeking drug treatment should be assured that physician-patient confidentiality is not at risk.
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Jasmine spread ‘Idol’
fun while it lastedWHEW, what a ride! Jasmine Trias took Hawaii for an amazing trip as the teenager's appeal -- and fast-dialing hometown fingers -- brought her this close to a dream of fame. Though Trias' run on "American Idol" has ended, the 17-year-old Mililani girl has much to be proud of.
THE ISSUE
The Hawaii contestant on the popular television show did not get enough votes this week to continue to the finals.
In addition to personal achievement, Trias brought the islands a spotlight that delighted the tourism industry as television's top-rated program lavishly showed off the state for pennies on the dollar. Along with footage of Trias arriving via canoe in Waikiki this week, tourism officials say Hawaii got a huge boost in January when tryouts for the contest filmed in the islands were broadcast just as a cold front on the mainland had 31 million viewers shivering. For a mere $23,000 and in-kind donations, Hawaii got publicity that ordinarily would have cost millions.
Trias also gave island people a diversion from gloomy news about the Iraq war. "Idol" talk dominated at the office water-cooler. Jas-mania chatter could be heard from the aisles of Longs and Costco to the shoe salon at Neiman Marcus.
The Maryknoll School senior's staying power, despite what some deemed a lesser talent, fueled conspiracy theories and skepticism about the show's voting system and drew acerbic remarks about the state's boosterism from Simon Cowell, the sharp-tongued -- but mainly on point -- "Idol" judge. Meanwhile, dour analysts attempted to inject deep social meaning into residents' enthusiasm, grousing about a peculiar island characteristic to blindly support one of our own.
No doubt Hawaii's propensity to help a local girl make good was a significant part of Trias' endurance on the show but her sincere, pretty smile and soaring voice obviously attracted votes from other regions as well. And who can argue that viewers in Snellville, Ga., or High Point, N.C., hometowns of the show's remaining finalists, do not have the same bias?
Other commentators expressed disappointment that such interest does not infuse the public on more important civic matters like caring for the homeless, education and voting in political elections. Our response? Eh, get real. One has nothing to do with the others.
After all, "American Idol" is just a television show, regardless of being labeled "reality."
