Hospitals gave women medications during childbirth—then reported them for using illicit drugs
Hospitals gave women medications during childbirth—then reported them for using illicit drugs
Across the US, drug-testing of pregnant patients is routine, hospital error is common—and innocent mothers face punishment for mistakes their providers make.
Summary
U.S. hospitals are routinely drug-testing pregnant women and reporting positive results—often triggered by hospital-administered medications like morphine or benzodiazepines—to child welfare agencies.
Mistakes and misinterpretations of these tests have led to investigations, child removals, and trauma for innocent mothers.
A lack of safeguards, reliance on error-prone tests, and policies mandating automatic reporting exacerbate the problem.
Advocates and experts are calling for reform, including limiting unnecessary testing and ensuring results are reviewed before reporting, as these practices disproportionately harm mothers while failing to address actual child abuse risks.
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