The U.S. Supreme Court decided yesterday that it would rule on whether public hospitals can drug test pregnant women and then provide the results to police. In Ferguson v. City of Charleston, ten women from South Carolina filed suit against a Charleston hospital for searching a targeted group of women seeking obstetrical care. Women who tested positive for drugs were reported to the police and some were arrested out of their hospital beds. The Center for Reproductive Law and Policy, representing the women, argues that “the question before the court is whether pregnant women have lesser constitutional rights than other Americans.” The American Public Health Association, nurses groups, physicians, and public health counselors filed an amicus brief in support of the women.
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