88. Lindsay Ridgell & Kim Blalock: 2 Women Face the Legal System for Medication Use During Pregnancy

This week Nathalie covered two cases related to women caught in the crosshairs of the legal system for using medications during pregnancy. She tells the story of Lindsay Ridgell, a mother from Phoenix. Lindsay suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum during her pregnancy. This condition causes severe vomiting and nausea, and Lindsay had to be hospitalized twice from dehydration before giving birth. Lindsay had treated her condition with medical marijuana, which is legal in the state of Arizona. Lindsay had agreed to wean off the medical marijuana but found it was the only thing that helped her even keep food down. After giving birth, Lindsay was reported to the Department of Child Safety and was told she would be placed on the child abuse registry. Before getting pregnant, Kim Blalock suffered from arthritis and degenerative disk disease. The year before her pregnancy she experienced surgical complications and a car accident that only worsened her pain. Her pain was managed with a hydrocodone prescription. When she became pregnant she discontinued taking the medication. The entire pregnancy was long and incredibly painful, however, in the last six weeks before her due date the pain became unbearable, prompting Kim to seek medical treatment. Kim had no idea that taking a medication prescribed by her doctors would lead to an investigation by the Department of Human Resources and a possible felony conviction. https://www.thelily.com/a-mom-was-charged-with-child-neglect-for-using-medical-marijuana-while-pregnant-the-arizona-case-could-set-a-precedent/ https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article254240778.html https://casetext.com/case/ridgell-v-ariz-dept-of-child-safety https://www.elle.com/culture/a39541235/kim-blalock-took-lawfully-prescribed-pain-killers-during-pregnancyand-was-charged-with-a-felony/?utm_campaign=socialflowTWELM&utm_medium=social-media&utm_source=twitter https://www.al.com/news/2021/06/alabama-mom-faces-jail-for-filling-doctors-prescription-while-pregnant.html https://www.al.com/news/2022/02/charge-dropped-against-alabama-woman-who-renewed-pain-pill-prescription-while-pregnant.html