SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - The American Civil Liberties Union has asked South Dakota social services officials to clarify policies on catheterization of children after a woman objected to the procedure done on her 3-year-old son.
The woman told the Sioux Falls Argus Leader in a story published Friday that authorities wanted her two children tested for drugs after her boyfriend failed a drug test. She said the Department of Social Services threatened to remove them from her home if she didn’t comply.
She said because her son couldn’t provide a sample, he was catheterized by nurses. An ACLU letter to the state says the woman did not know a catheter would be used, and that the boy contracted a staph infection from the procedure.
The state agency declined to discuss specific cases. It says it may request a parent obtain a drug screen, but it doesn’t determine the method or perform the screen.
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Information from: Argus Leader, https://www.argusleader.com
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