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Perils of Hospital Drug Tests

Widespread drug testing of pregnant patients at childbirth prompted thousands of reports to child welfare authorities, investigations and even families losing custody of their babies — often after parents ate nothing more than a poppy seed muffin, took common medications, or received fentanyl in their epidurals.

Andria Lo for The Marshall Project
Feature
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.
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.
A White woman, wearing glasses and a red dress, sits at the front door of her house. One of her children stands behind her inside. A children's bike is stationed on the right side of the door.
Feature December 11, 2024
Hospitals Gave Patients Meds During Childbirth, Then Reported Them For Positive Drug Tests
Mothers were reported after they were given medications used routinely for pain or in epidurals, to reduce anxiety or to manage blood pressure during cesarean sections.
By
A person wearing a blue uniform and black messenger bag walks toward the entrance of a hospital with a blue sign that reads, "Virtua Health Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital."
Closing Argument October 5, 2024
Drug Testing of Pregnant Patients Is Discriminatory, Lawsuit Claims
The Marshall Project recently investigated how faulty drug tests at hospitals lead to pregnant women being reported to authorities and at times separated from their children.
By
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.
By
Three items are arranged on a white surface: a salad in a white bowl, a copy of a sonogram, and a printout of positive drug test results.
News September 7, 2024
You’re About to Deliver Your Baby. This Faulty Drug Test Could Take Your Newborn Away.
Listen to our investigation into how hospitals use unreliable test results to report parents to child welfare agencies.
By The Marshall Project
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