At least not if you live in Lawrence County in Pennsylvania. Via Reason:
The ACLU of Pennsylvania recently filed a civil rights lawsuit on behalf of a couple whose newborn baby was kidnapped by Lawrence County Children and Youth Services (LCCYS) because her mother recklessly consumed an “everything” bagel from Dunkin’ Donuts the day before the birth. Jameson Hospital, where Isabella Rodriguez was born on April 27, has a policy of testing expectant mothers’ urine for illegal drugs and reporting positive results to LCCYS, even without any additional evidence that the baby is in danger of neglect or abuse. LCCYS, in turn, has a policy of seizing such babies from their homes based on nothing more than the test result. Unfortunately for Isabella’s parents, Elizabeth Mort and Alex Rodriguez, Jameson sets the cutoff level for its opiate test so low that it can be triggered by poppy seeds, which is why two caseworkers and two Neshannock Township police officers visited their home the day after baby and mother returned from the hospital. LCCYS seized the three-day-old girl and put her in foster care for five days before conceding it had made a mistake.
Having knowledge of the steps that juvenile court in Iowa goes through in their CINA proceedings (Child In Need of Assistance) before a child is removed from the home; it is hard to believe how quickly they made that decision – with such scant evidence. This is another example of the State’s overreach into the family.
All based on a false test result. I can’t help, but wonder with many states having educational neglect laws on the books when we’ll see similar state intrusion when children don’t perform well on tests. Actually it’s already pretty commonplace in the homeschool community.
This will be one of the few times that I’ll root for the ACLU.
Originally posted at American Principles in Action.
