Women Denied Epidural because of Tattoos

On TikTok, it is reported that some hospitals are secretly testing drugs on pregnant women without consent. Shannon M. Clark MD FACOG is a person who goes by @Babydoc tiktok On the stage, bring this issue to light.

She says that the problem is not with all women. It’s more common among those who are “difficult,” those of colour, from areas where there are low incomes, or have tattoos. She writes in her caption: “Drug testing should be performed only with the patient’s consent and if indicated.”

The act of making a biased assumption about a person based on their appearance (e.g. thinking that he or she could be using drugs) is called patient profiling. A mom who was well-versed in the subject of patient profiling stitched up Dr. Clark’s TikTok, and then shared her story.

Creator: “I found out that during my pregnancy I was drug-tested and didn’t even know it.” @cinnamonstyx95 Watch the video.

Her multiple tattoos were a cause for concern among nurses and doctors who assumed that she had been using drugs during her pregnancy.

In addition to being subjected to a drug test without her consent, @cinnamonstyx95 claimed that a nurse had made inappropriate comments about the tattoos she has.

The first nurse that I had told me to not get an epidural if I could have tattoos. [so] Why would I require an epidural?” She asked.

Additionally, @cinnamonstyx95 also noted that another nursing colleague did dirty work when she shared private information about her pregnancies in front of other nurses in the hall.

“So yeah, profiling. She ends the video by saying, “It’s true.”

Other women expressed their sympathy for Cinnamonstyx95 in the comments section. Some women pointed out the nurses violated HIPAA. HIPAA is short for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. This act protects patient information that cannot be disclosed without their consent. Other people commented about the absurdity that @cinnamonstyx95 was told she could not get an epidural for her tattoos. They implied that getting a tattoo hurts as much as labor.

Not everyone was convinced by the story of @cinnamonstyx95.

Some people argue that drug tests are routine and should be done on every pregnant woman. @cinnamonstyx95, however, argued that when she confronted nurses over not informing about drug testing, they said they test because they looked like they did drugs.

One user echoed this, saying that she had been drug-tested because she “looked like she wasn’t there.” Some women agreed with @cinnamonstyx95, while others claimed that the nurses simply did their job.

Bottom line: Although different hospitals may have different drug-testing protocols, it’s important that nurses are honest with their patients.