She Ate Poppy Seed Salad Just Before Giving Birth. Then They Took Her Baby Away
Susan Horton tested positive for opiates after consuming a poppy seed salad, leading to her newborn's removal. Urine drug screens can yield false positives, disproportionately affecting low-income and minority women.
Read original article
Susan Horton, a mother from California, faced a traumatic experience after eating a poppy seed salad before giving birth in August 2022. Following her delivery, she tested positive for opiates due to the poppy seeds, which led the hospital to report her to child welfare services. Despite her shock and insistence that she had not used any drugs, her newborn was taken into protective custody. The case highlights the issues surrounding urine drug screening in hospitals, which can yield false positives from common foods and medications. Studies indicate that these tests can have false positive rates as high as 50%, yet hospitals often report results without further confirmation. This practice disproportionately affects low-income and minority women, who are more likely to be tested and investigated. The lack of comprehensive data on false positives and the absence of required confirmation testing before reporting to child welfare agencies raise significant concerns about the reliability of drug testing in maternity care. Experts warn that the current system can trap families in a cycle of surveillance and punishment based on flawed evidence. The case of Horton is one of many that illustrate the potential for wrongful accusations and the severe consequences that can follow.
- Susan Horton tested positive for opiates after eating a poppy seed salad before giving birth.
- Urine drug screens can yield false positives, leading to wrongful reports to child welfare.
- The practice disproportionately impacts low-income and minority women.
- There is no requirement for confirmation testing before reporting to authorities.
- Experts emphasize the need for reform in drug testing protocols in maternity care.
Related
Over 2,400 patients may have been exposed to HIV, hepatitis at Oregon hospitals
Over 2,400 patients in Oregon face potential exposure to hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV due to an anesthesiologist's lapse in infection control. Providence and Legacy Health are providing support and testing.
High Levels of PFAS 'Forever Chemicals' Found in Food and Drink Products – Study
A study on Science Direct found high PFAS levels in food like white rice, eggs, red meat, seafood, and coffee. PFAS in blood and breast milk pose health risks. Dietary changes are advised to reduce exposure. US and EU regulate PFAS in food packaging.
U.S. maternal death rate increasing at an alarming rate
The U.S. maternal mortality rate has surged, not just due to older age, affecting all age groups. Factors driving this rise need identification, especially among younger adults. Cardiovascular diseases impact maternal health significantly. Disparities exist among racial groups, with Black individuals at higher risk. National efforts are urged to tackle maternal health crisis.
Black mothers in England twice as likely to have NHS birth investigated
Black mothers in England face significant disparities in maternity care, with investigations showing they are almost twice as likely to be involved compared to white women. Experts label it a "national disgrace" due to institutional racism. The Care Quality Commission's program has conducted over 2,300 investigations into maternal and neonatal issues. Black women are four times more likely to die in pregnancy and childbirth, prompting calls for urgent action to address racial inequalities in maternity care. The Labour government vows to prioritize improvements in this area.
Overdose Deaths Are Finally Starting to Decline. Here's Why
Opioid overdose deaths in the U.S. have slightly declined but remain high, with regional differences and shifting demographics. Experts call for continued investment in treatment and prevention strategies.
12 commentsElaine takes a urine test in order to go on a work trip to Kenya with her boss, J. Peterman. She tests positive for opium. Elaine insists she has never taken drugs, but when a frantic Kramer shows up at her office begging her to let him use her normal-pressure shower, Peterman mistakes him for a drug addict and fires Elaine. Elaine realizes that the test is picking up the poppy seeds in her favorite muffins.
While I can completely and utterly understand the medical profession's careful monitoring of a situation, particularly when it comes to negative birthing outcomes in the US, the first response should not be the vilification of parents until they are 1099% sure they have evidence that supports such action.
But, then again, when we had our first kiddo and she received an incorrectly inserted epidural there wasn't even a single apology from anyone, let alone the anesthesiologist who let the epidural leak into her skin, eventually puffing up the skin to a noticeable bubble, rather than where it was supposed to be, leaving her in excruciating pain to the point where I had to scream at the nurse's station for 45 straight minutes until someone would listen instead of just telling me she was fine and we were overreacting. Or the doctor who was stitching her up afterward, lacking any and all bedside manner, by saying he should have taken a before and after photo of her vagina, in front of me and my wife, because he had done such a great job.
When it came to our stay in the NICU: we were asleep in a room on another floor, our first in 40+ hours, they performed surgery on our daughter w/o asking our permission or informing us first because they attempted to call the room we were in but we didn't answer--only later to find out that the room's phone had been removed and wasn't there. No one thought to come to the room or even call the nurses' station literally next to the room to have them ask/inform us of the surgery first.
But, sure, go ahead and add on immense stress in one of the most stressful situations of our lives through false accusations while protecting your doctors to the nth degree.
Absolute meme country. Why do we institutionalize such stupidity?
I can't really get inside the head of the assholes who judge kids playing in the mud. It's real.
> The day after Smith delivered her son, a doctor told her that she and her baby had tested positive for meth and that the hospital had notified child protective services... Smith’s husband, Michael, asked the doctor to review his wife’s medical records to confirm her prescription, according to the doctor’s notes.
Is there a reckoning coming for OB/GYN training in America?
Anyway the substitute teacher that day believed his sob story about how angry his mother would get when she finds out he's soiled himself, and this ends up in a referral to child protective services. A case agent is assigned, comes to visit the house while I'm out of town (we had no idea until she showed up at the door). Thankfully, no action was taken. But now we have this "black mark" on our record as parents for five years.
I get why these agencies exist, and there are real problems out there. But to be caught up in these bureaucratic regimes is a total nightmare, as you're presumed to be a total douchebag until proven otherwise. It's terrifying.
Be careful about making any statements that could be misconstrued as evidence against you, but feel free to yell at the staff (never at the police) to show your immediate disgust.
Fuck this shit. Hospitals aren’t police.
Related
Over 2,400 patients may have been exposed to HIV, hepatitis at Oregon hospitals
Over 2,400 patients in Oregon face potential exposure to hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV due to an anesthesiologist's lapse in infection control. Providence and Legacy Health are providing support and testing.
High Levels of PFAS 'Forever Chemicals' Found in Food and Drink Products – Study
A study on Science Direct found high PFAS levels in food like white rice, eggs, red meat, seafood, and coffee. PFAS in blood and breast milk pose health risks. Dietary changes are advised to reduce exposure. US and EU regulate PFAS in food packaging.
U.S. maternal death rate increasing at an alarming rate
The U.S. maternal mortality rate has surged, not just due to older age, affecting all age groups. Factors driving this rise need identification, especially among younger adults. Cardiovascular diseases impact maternal health significantly. Disparities exist among racial groups, with Black individuals at higher risk. National efforts are urged to tackle maternal health crisis.
Black mothers in England twice as likely to have NHS birth investigated
Black mothers in England face significant disparities in maternity care, with investigations showing they are almost twice as likely to be involved compared to white women. Experts label it a "national disgrace" due to institutional racism. The Care Quality Commission's program has conducted over 2,300 investigations into maternal and neonatal issues. Black women are four times more likely to die in pregnancy and childbirth, prompting calls for urgent action to address racial inequalities in maternity care. The Labour government vows to prioritize improvements in this area.
Overdose Deaths Are Finally Starting to Decline. Here's Why
Opioid overdose deaths in the U.S. have slightly declined but remain high, with regional differences and shifting demographics. Experts call for continued investment in treatment and prevention strategies.