Charleston Policy: Substance or Abuse, The

Authors

Kimani Paul-Emile, Fordham University School of LawFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Michigan Journal of Race & Law

Volume

4

Publication Date

1989

Keywords

pregnant women, drug testing, medical discrimination, institutional racism, black motherhood, Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC

Abstract

In 1989, the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) adopted a policy that, according to subjective criteria, singled out for drug testing, certain women who sought prenatal care and childbirth services would be tested for prohibited substances. Women who tested positive were arrested, incarcerated and prosecuted for crimes ranging from misdemeanor substance possession to felony substance distribution to a minor. In this Article, the Author argues that by intentionally targeting indigent Black women for prosecution, the MUSC Policy continued the United States legacy of their systematic oppression and resulted in the criminalizing of Black Motherhood.

Recommended Citation

Kimani Paul-Emile, Charleston Policy: Substance or Abuse, The , 4 Mich. J. Race & L. 325 (1989-1999)
Available at: https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/faculty_scholarship/395