Common Over-the-counter and Legally Prescribed Medications Aiding the Medical Kidnapping of Newborns from Unsuspecting Mothers
Drug testing mothers about to give birth varies from state to state and facility to facility. Most facilities only drug test mothers who are considered “high risk” for drug abuse. For a mother to be considered high risk, facilities have a set of guidelines they follow to determine if the testing is necessary. Some states and facilities drug test all mothers to be. But in order for them to do a drug test, consent is required, which is rarely, if ever, mentioned to mother. It is hidden somewhere among the fine print of the multiple papers given to you to sign, and usually included with the “authorization to treat” form. Not only is this misleading and unethical, it could be against the law. The AMA Journal of Ethics published an article informing readers about how the Supreme Court agreed petitioners in Ferguson v. City of Charleston: “…challenged the constitutionality of the drug tests, claiming that performing the tests in the absence of a warrant or informed consent violated the patients' Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable search and seizure.” Many people may say, “Who cares if they drug test expecting mothers. Women who are pregnant should never be taking illegal or illicit drugs.” But what if a mother is taking a legal medication, prescribed to her by her physician, that is known to cause a false-positive on a urine drug screen? When a woman tests positive for drugs prior to giving birth, the hospital then collects the newborns first void, known as meconium, to also be tested for drugs. This testing also requires consent from the parents, and again is seldom, if ever, received from the mother. The meconium is collected and sent to the lab for testing. If the meconium tests positive for drugs, a complaint is made to CPS.
