Make sure you don't toke up if you're about to go into labor. At least if you're planning on going to a public hospital in New York City. Because if you test positive for marijuana after the delivery, you're likely to have a child protective services investigation before you even get the baby home. More than a dozen city maternity wards routinely test new moms for marijuana usage and turn the results over to city agencies.
These moms are almost exclusively low-income and minority women. If you're an upper class white woman in the suburbs who pops a Xanax before your delivery (not that you should, but if you do), then you're in the clear.
Family court attorneys apparently see lots of "neglect" cases against new moms, centering solely around a positive test for marijuana use after their delivery. One hospital in the Bronx requires moms to get tested -- if they refuse, then the babies are tested.
One woman at this hospital tested positive -- she admitted she smoked pot two weeks before at a party -- and the hospital reportedly held her and her baby for two days, only letting her go once subsequent tests came back negative. She was still put on "mommy probation" -- which included parenting classes -- for a year.
A spokesperson for the hospital told the Daily News: "This is a high-risk population in this hospital. The intent is to help them deliver healthy babies." Err, okay. But by the time a mother has given birth, your test doesn't help with that at all. If this was truly the intent, why not test all women as soon as they get pregnant. (Talk about intrusive government!)
I'm not against women being given counseling and parenting classes after births. In fact, it should be an option for every woman, not just low-income minority women who test positive for marijuana use.
On the other hand, I understand the desire to protect newborns. But I can't get around the fact that this testing is only focusing on marijuana and only low-income city women. I mean, what about testing for heroin use? Meth? Or, for that matter, what about cigarettes and alcohol? What about women who are on various pharmaceuticals such as Adderall, Xanax, Vicodin, etc.?
And should we really even go on a witch hunt for that? Many women are prescribed drugs -- yes, even while they're pregnant -- and it would be difficult to figure out if they were abusing them and not merely taking what was prescribed. I had a friend who was strongly urged to continue her anti-depressants during her pregnancy. Luckily, she wasn't tested for anything after birth.
And what about the dads?? If marijuana use is damaging to babies, what good does it do for a mom to test clean but then the baby goes home to a dad who smokes up?
What do you think of this testing?
Image via Peretzp/Flickr
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Comments 95
" (Talk about intrusive government!)" what do you think happens when you embrace socialiized medicine and become a socialistic country? You are not entitiled to live your life anyway you want and expect someone else to pick up the bill with no say... that was the one poece of the puzzle that soooooo many voters seemed to have missed in this "hell yes everyone has a right to freeeee stuff" It is kind of like when you were eight and your parents said "as long as you live under opur roof..." This is only the begining.
Are we honestly still that archaic in our thinking in this country that we are still considering pot a drug? Insane. This completely unjustified prohibition on marajuana is really getting disgusting. The same people who bash lighting up, have no problem with downing a 6 pack every night or 3 glasses of wine, just because it is 'legal'. How many people have you heard of OD-ing on pot? Or dying in way because of it? That's right you haven't, because it doesn't happen!! Why don't you backass people actually do a little RESEARCH on it before you open your mouths. There are numerous articles done by DOCTORS (that's right, people who are much more intelligent than you) that have shown absolutely no negative effects in babies that have been born to marajuana smoking mothers. Why don't all of you cigarette smoking, prescription pill popping mommies out there go read a book.
This is so freaking ridiculous. When i was pregnant i was very up front and honest with my doctor. I told him that i smoke marijuanna but that i didn't intend to while i was pregnant. I was told by not only him, but 2 other doctors at 2 seperate places that there's no real harm in it AT ALL but that if they're are suspicious at the hospital when i have the baby, they might test us and CPS would get involved. I did quit and was never tested, but 1 day after my c-section a nurse came in and ask me about my "drug abuse problem". i got so mad i almost screamed at her. if you really want to protect these babies, test for the drugs that ACTUALLY do harm to them and stop harassing these poor women.
I understand testing for hard drugs, but not just weed. I'm in CA and during my first trimester when they ran my blood work they looked for any drug. A few months ago a story broke about newborns testing positive for marijuana, but it was a false positive. It was baby products (soap and shampoo) that were giving the false positives. That IS scary, the possiblity of losing your child because of toiletry items. Are they testing for alcohol and tobacco which we know are harmful to a developing fetus?
That's just stupid. Of all of the "harmful" things to test for. Heck, Ibuprofen is more dangerous to take while pregnant than marijuana. *Headdesk*