Two women in New York denounced a hospital for putting them through "an absolute nightmare" by conducting drug tests without their consent or knowledge while they were in labor.
Urine tests gave false positives and, after giving birth,
mothers were forbidden to breastfeed their children and child welfare authorities were alerted
about the tests that were altered because, before delivery, both had eaten foods that they contained poppy seeds.
"Those moments of bonding with my newborn are moments that I will never get back," lamented Crystal H in the lawsuit filed Friday with the New York State Division of Human Rights against Garnet Health Medical Center.
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“Garnet Health
turned the joy of being a new mom into an absolute nightmare,
” said Crystal H, who explained that she was unable to breastfeed her baby “due to a false positive drug test after eating a seed muffin. of poppy ”.
She gave birth in December 2020.
The other mother who is identified only as Jane Doe stated that the medical center “
turned what should have been the most significant moment of my life into the most traumatic one
.
All because I had a salad with poppy seed dressing. "
She turned the joy of being a new mom into an absolute nightmare "
Crystal H in her complaint
According to her testimony, in March 2021, shortly before being admitted to give birth, she wanted to eat something healthy without knowing that “the ingestion of food with poppy seeds can lead to false positives in drug tests for children. opioids ”.
This is due to the morphine content in these seeds that could lead to an erroneous result in a urinalysis.
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Despite medical experts recommending further tests to confirm the results, the hospital, according to the complaint, refused to perform them and instead notified authorities.
"Medical racism"
The center "discriminated against both mothers on the grounds of sex and pregnancy" and caused local authorities to carry out "invasive searches in their homes" after being reported to the Central State Registry of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (SCR), The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU).
The mothers and their newborns later tested negative for the same test.
The complaint argues that this type of practice fuels the stigma and scrutiny of black and Latino mothers.Jose Luis Pelaez Inc / Getty Images
For Crystal H, the hospital acted based on "racist stereotypes" and the nightmare she lived through is repeated among "
low-income, black and Latina pregnant
New Yorkers
."
According to her, women are discriminated against by their healthcare providers and are threatened with “separation from their families”.
"Garnet Health
treated me like an unfit mother
, told me I couldn't breastfeed, repeatedly denied my requests for a confirmatory test, and made sure my name was on the New York State Child Abuse and Maltreatment Central Registry," stated the other complainant.
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"Drug testing of pregnant women is a form of medical racism," warned the NYCLU.
According to the organization, this practice is archaic and focuses on women of color,
fueling the stigma and scrutiny of black and Latino mothers
, who "suffer high rates of maternal mortality and family separation."
This type of test, the plaintiffs maintain, must be approved by the mothers.
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"Non-consensual drug testing prioritizes stigma over science,"
said Gabriella Larios, Equal Justice Works fellow at The New York Civil Liberties Union.
"They must immediately stop drug testing pregnant women in secret," he insisted.
Both she and the mothers who filed the complaint allege that legislation is needed to regulate this practice.
Crystal H and Jane Doe have requested that this type of procedure be declared as a type of discrimination and that they be paid compensation for damages.
They also demand that the hospital change its policies, "present a written apology and order the correction of your medical records."