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Child Welfare Services

A photo shows a large crowd of demonstrators. One person is holding a sign that reads, "Keep our country free of drugs."
Closing Argument March 14
How Hospitals Helped Erode Reproductive Rights
Criminal prosecutions sparked by hospital drug testing helped advance the legal concept that the fetus had interests the state could protect.
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Feature February 18
How Often Does Child Welfare Call Police in Your State for Positive Drug Tests at Birth?
The Marshall Project found 70,000+ allegations of pregnancy drug use referred to law enforcement, often based on unreliable drug tests.
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Two items are arranged on a white surface: a copy of a sonogram and a printout of positive drug test results.
Feature February 13
Having a Baby? 5 Tips to Avoid Problems From Flawed Drug Testing at the Hospital
Hospitals routinely use unreliable drug tests at childbirth, and many parents are reported to child welfare agencies and the police. Here’s what you can do.
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A collage shows images of a pregnant person in a hospital gown holding their belly, a doctor holding a scalpel, a doctor administering an epidural injection on the back of a patient, a hospital gown, a hair net, a doctor writing on a clipboard and a pregnant woman taking pills out of a bottle.
Investigate This February 12
Journalists: New Data to Investigate the Consequences of Hospital Drug Testing at Childbirth
We collected child welfare data in 21 states to report on the consequences of faulty drug tests for pregnant women, including referrals to law enforcement.
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[Use this form](https://airtable.com/appR7SW9BhPZGdXp9/pagui3EF1KWn7G7hK/form) to tell us if you’ve had a brush with law enforcement during your pregnancy, labor or delivery.
Get Involved February 10
Investigated for a Positive Drug Test While Giving Birth? Tell Us What Happened Next.
Help our team continue their reporting on referrals to law enforcement for alleged drug use during pregnancy by sharing your story.
By The Marshall Project
A White woman, wearing glasses and a red dress, holds the hands of her young daughter, who is wearing a black long-sleeved shirt and patterned dress. They stand in front of their house.
News July 27, 2025
How Faulty Drug Tests Turn New Parents’ Lives Upside-Down
Watch our joint investigation with CBS Sunday Morning into how hospitals use unreliable test results to report parents to child welfare agencies.
By The Marshall Project
Three items are arranged on a white surface: a salad in a white bowl, a copy of a sonogram, and a printout of a false positive drug test result.
Feature June 9, 2025
From New York to Arizona, More States Consider Curbing Drug Testing at Childbirth
Some bills followed an investigation by The Marshall Project and Reveal that exposed the harms of widespread drug testing of pregnant patients.
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A White female doctor, wearing glasses, a gray jacket and blue scrubs, sits at her desk. Papers of children's hand drawings hang on the wall.
Feature April 2, 2025
Why Some Doctors Are Pushing to End Routine Drug Testing During Childbirth
Hospitals routinely report parents to child welfare authorities based on error-prone drug tests. Some hospitals are changing policy as a result.
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Susan Horton, a White woman wearing a black tank top, arranges her children’s toys on top of a table.
Feature September 9, 2024
She Ate a Poppy Seed Salad Just Before Giving Birth. Then They Took Her Baby Away.
Hospitals use drug tests that return false positives from poppy seed bagels, decongestants and Zantac. Yet newborns are being taken from parents based on the results.
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News Inside July 28, 2023
Can’t Stop. Won’t Stop.
With renewed purpose, Issue 14 of News Inside goes the extra yard to deliver information behind bars.
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