Pregnant Women in Indiana Could Be Forced Into Mandatory Drug Tests

Expectant mothers across the state of Indiana may be forced to pee on a stick more than just to verify a pregnancy. That’s because the Attorney General is now pushing for all women with a bun in the oven to submit to a mandatory drug screen.

According to reports, Indiana A.G. Greg Zoeller is proposing mandatory drug tests for all pregnant girls and woman as a means for combatting the increasing costs of drug addicted babies born in the state every year. In addition, drug testing, Zoeller says could save the state nearly $30 million in the treatment of newborns with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome.

In other states, mandatory drug tests are used to prosecute pregnant women for a variety of crimes ranging from child abuse to murder. However, Zoeller says that his goal is to make Indiana a state where a woman just being pregnant is probable cause to undergo a drug screen – not just when they get in trouble with the law.

Unfortunately, while mandatory drug tests would be put in place to protect unborn children, they could also cause many women to avoid medical care for fear of prosecution.

The American Civil Liberties Union says that testing pregnant women for drugs just because they are pregnant is a violation of the 4th Amendment. Zoeller says he believes testing all pregnant women is more constitutional.