Saying he wants to prevent addicts from having children, a Scottish member of Parliament said that contraceptives should be added to methadone given to opiate users, the BBC reported May 11.

Duncan McNeil, a Labor Party member of the Scottish Parliament, said radical steps are needed to prevent drug harm to families.

"Why are we in a situation where so many of those who are addicted to drugs are having children?" he said. "We know there are dangers of HIV and AIDS, that there are dangers to the mother and child from a difficult pregnancy. As a first step, we need to explore putting some form of oral contraception in methadone, or using other methods. That way, we could reduce this problem and prevent some of those children coming to harm."

McNeil later said that the use of the contraceptive-laced methadone should be voluntary, not mandatory.

A Scottish government spokesperson said there are no plans to add birth control to methadone.

"This is a bizarre suggestion which is impractical and almost certainly illegal," said Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament Jeremy Purvis. "The way forward is to support people with drug-misuse problems, not to have a state program of contraception."