Topic: State takes baby for 1st 75 days because mother used poppy-seed dressing

[IronDioPriest]

Outrageous that it would take 75 days to sort out this mistake. It should have been handled within 24 hours, and THAT is assuming that the government has any business taking newborns whose mothers are suspected of drug use, based on a blood test only, with no other signs of a dangerous environment.

As a point of fact, the article says "state", but it looks to me like this was a county health services f***-up.

In short, the mother ate poppy seed dressing, then delivered her baby. The county's tolerance for opiates in an expectant mother's blood is far lower than the norm. She shows positive for opiates. They take the baby. For 75 days. Then a federal court ruled the seizing of the baby unconstitutional.

A mother was robbed of the first nearly three months of her newborn's life, and she'll never get that back.

And... the first comment contains a link suggesting that the caseworker involved is a serial baby-confiscator.

State takes baby for 1st 75 days because mother used poppy-seed dressing

[Glock32]

This sort of thing isn't going to stop until the individual employees and agents of the government are held personally accountable. They act boldly and recklessly because they can hide behind the shield of bureaucracy, defending themselves with the best legal representation our money can buy.

And obviously this hospital uses a threshold that is set far too low. I have heard of people rinsing poppy seeds to obtain the trace amounts of opium residue, but it takes pounds of poppy seeds just to get a single dose. The amount contained from incidental ingestion of a salad or poppy seed bun would be very low indeed.

This is that special sort of asininity that comes from everything being regulated. There's no more discretion by people closest to the facts, they are overruled by policies that target the lowest common denominator. It's the very definition of mindlessness.


ETA - I should also point out that I think this policy of drug screening all expectant mothers is bullsh*t. If there are reasons to believe a woman is an addict, either from physical exam findings, behavior, or known history, then that's one thing. But across the board testing? They could KMA.

[Libertas]

(Refraining from comment due to desire to throttle a mindless government stooge)

[LadyVirginia]

I don't even know where to begin on this one.  That it took 75 days to sort this out is beyond ridiculous.  That smacks of institutional arrogance,  They could have solved this is in 24-48 hours if they desired.  A follow up test would have confirmed the mother's story.  Consulting with the mother's doctor would have yielded no evidence of drug abuse.  A physical exam of mother and baby would show no evidence of chronic drug abuse.

All of those things could have occurred while the mother was still in the hospital.  They could have waited to discharge mother and the baby until they were satisfied the baby was in no danger.

It seems to me that the hospital staff and her doctor let the health department run right over everyone's common sense and they all let this woman and child down.  No one wants to get involved, no one wants to get sued.  How do they sleep at night?

[Predator Don]

Only 75 days? That efficient for Gov't.

[RickZ]

As a point of fact, the article says "state", but it looks to me like this was a county health services f***-up.

No, this was no fukc up.  This was a deliberate 'just needs killin'' offense.

Also, I was told years ago by headhunters that I should not eat poppy seed bagels if a company I want to join/recently joined required a drug test.

[IronDioPriest]

Also, I was told years ago by headhunters that I should not eat poppy seed bagels if a company I want to join/recently joined required a drug test.

In that regard, one would think that knowing what their "tolerance" level is for opiates in their mandatory prenatal screening, the county would have the foresight to a) warn expectant mothers to avoid poppy seed dressing, and b) expect that mothers who had consumed poppy seed dressing would fail the screening, and make accommodations for that scenario.

This whole thing seems like it couldn't happen unless someone wanted it to happen.

[LadyVirginia]

This whole thing seems like it couldn't happen unless someone wanted it to happen.

what I was thinking